A Heart's Quest
by Jediempress
Summary: Leon receives information that changes everything for him. He sets off to search for answers, accompanied by a Keybearer, and both get more than they imagined. Another collaboration with RikuRocks. COMPLETED.
1. Return of an Old Friend

We do not own these people! Can you imagine of we did?

A Heart's Quest

Chapter 1: Return of an Old Friend

He found himself leaning forward a bit in an effort to see the newcomer better as the blonde man descended the Gummi ship's ramp. When Scrooge McDuck had contacted him stating he had come across a young man who appeared to have ties with those on Radiant Garden, King Mickey had assumed it was simply another survivor from The Planet. It seemed that world had been populated with very strong-willed, strong-hearted people.

When the old tycoon said that the man had named Squall Leonhart as one of those he was looking for, the king had almost fallen out of his seat.

Now Mickey waited anxiously as the old duck approached, followed closely by a fairly tall, thin blonde; His hair was cut short, bangs shooting straight up. On the left side of his face, nearly surrounding his eye was a rather intricate tattoo. An easy smile lit his face.

Scrooge did not bother with the customary bow before the sovereign. He instead stood formally with his cane and nodded his hated head, "Hello, laddie."

Mickey grinned. He may have been a king but to the richest duck in the worlds, he would always just be another lad. "How did your venture go?"

Scrooge sighed. "Not nearly as well as I hoped. When I return to Radiant Garden, I'll prepare a new strategy."

"Whelp, I've not doubt you'll be successful in the end." The mouse grinned. He shifted his attention. "Now introduce me to our new friend."

Apparently, the newcomer decided this was his permission to speak. "You're King Mickey? Wow, and I thought I'd seen everything after Scrooge here. The name's Zell Dincht."

He held out his hand with a large, toothy grin. Suddenly he frowned. "Oh. Am I supposed to bow or something? I've never met royalty before."

Mickey chuckled, deciding he liked this man already. He took hold of the offered hand and shook it. The guy had a very firm grip. "Normally it's expected but for today we'll let it slide. Besides, I don't much like it."

Zell nodded once.

"Whelp, I hear you're lookin' for some friends of yours." Mickey turned to head up the steps and into the castle. The two proceeded after him.

"Scrooge says there's a guy he knows who goes by Leon Lionheart who fits his description." Zell twisted his face. "Course if it is him, I'm giving him hell for that name. It's fine if he wanted to change it, but couldn't he come up with something more original?"

Mickey snorted, deciding he definitely liked this man.

--0—0—

Scrooge left them shortly after dinner to rest. With how old the duck must be, Zell had been a bit surprised he had the amount of energy he did. The blonde man now sat with the king in the library, fidgeting.

Mickey sat at a large desk with a quill and a rolled out piece parchment. He had been writing for several minutes now. What he was writing, Zell did not know and he figured it was rude to ask. He was in the presence of a king after all…

The mouse glanced up with a small smile. "You can walk around if you like. I only need you here to answer a few questions. Please feel free to roam the library."

Zell literally sprang to his feet. He really hated being in one place for too long. He walked along the far wall, randomly shifting his shoulders as if dodging an invisible enemy. "You got a lot of books here."

"Whelp, I suppose." Mickey had returned to his letter. "If you ever get the opportunity to go to Beast's Castle, Belle has a library that rivals this one. Actually, I believe Ansem the Wise's collection is greater than this one."

"Huh." Zell paused before a bust of a chicken in a bonnet. "Who's this?"

"Clara Cluck. She's an opera singer."

The blonde shook his head, still mystified by how different things were around here. "I wonder what kinds of things the others have come across."

Mickey looked up from his writing. There was clear curiosity to his expression. "Why are you so certain there are others out there?"

"There was a group of us fighting when the Heartless overwhelmed us," Zell explained. "I could see them right up until the darkness swallowed us up. I guess they could have become Heartless but since I didn't, I just don't think they did."

It was a good theory. With a little more thought, Mickey decided it was an excellent theory. "Have you heard anything that could lead to finding them?"

"A few rumors but I couldn't make any sense of them." The man shrugged. "This is the most solid lead I've had on anyone."

"Whelp, I'm sure Leon is going to be shocked to learn you're here." Mickey finished writing and set the quill in its stand. "He had given up on any hope of any of you surviving."

The mouse rolled up the parchment and embossed his seal upon it. He hopped out of his chair and walked toward a narrow pillar just beyond the staircase. It turned out to be some kind of delivery tube. He opened a small panel and placed the letter inside.

There was a faint whoosh sound as the king turned and grinned at Zell. "I'm very curious to see how Squall reacts to this news."

The man's eyes widened just a touch. "So it really is him?"

"Yep."

Zell grinned widely. He jumped lightly, pumping his fist. "Yes! Finally…"

Mickey chuckled in amusement. "As soon as I get word back, we'll go to Radiant Garden."

--0—0—

He stared at the letter in his hand in disbelief. After all this time, it could not be true, could it? He was having a very difficult time wrapping his mind around the words written on this piece of parchment.

"Hey, Leon! Cid needs you to-" Yuffie came to an abrupt stop. She frowned and tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"...Nothing."

She stepped closer to peer at him. "It sure doesn't look like nothing."

He tried to move away but Yuffie was in her relentless mode. "Aw, come on, Squall. Is it something in that letter? I thought it seemed strange the king was sending you something and not Riku."

"I don't know if the king even knows Riku's here."

"Oh, he probably does. That mouse knows everything." Yuffie waved a hand idly.

"Apparently," mumbled Leon absently.

The ninja girl stopped and really looked at Leon. He seemed quite distressed about something. She frowned and in a surprisingly gentle tone asked, "Really, Leon, what it is?"

Leon studied her a moment. His expression changed and it looked like he was about to answer but abruptly changed his mind. He turned away and left the room.

He felt bad leaving Yuffie like that, but she was not someone with whom he wanted to discuss this. He appreciated her concern but this was likely beyond anything she could help him with. It seemed doubtful that anyone would understand the turmoil that was stirring up within him.

Walking down the street, the letter held tightly in his hand, he tried to remember the last time he had even entertained the idea that there was even a remote chance of any of his old friends having survived. He had given up that hope a long time ago. If no one had been found yet, it was unlikely they would ever be.

This letter had changed everything.

He saw Cloud talking to Aerith in front of the Moogle shop. He changed his direction a bit to head over to them. He was not entirely sure why he was doing this; maybe he simply knew this was too big for his to process on his own.

Aerith glanced over and smiled at him. Cloud flicked his blue eyes at him, a questioning look coming to them. Both stopped talking.

Without word, he handed Aerith the letter. She frowned quizzically, taking it from him. She unrolled it, holding it so that Cloud could read it also. Once finished, they both returned their gazes to Leon.

"Do you think it's really him?" Cloud asked quietly.

"I don't know." The sable-haired man answered. "I want it to be but… It's been so long."

"Well, the king says he knew things that only another from your world would know." Aerith bit her lip. "He seems to be rather certain."

"…Yeah."

She angled her head a touch. "How do you feel about this?"

Leon blew out a breath. "Honestly? I don't know."

"So have the king bring him and see if it's him." Cloud shrugged. "At worst, it's not and if it is, deal with it then. There's no point in getting all worked up over something you're not even certain is true."

Leon nodded. It was the logical answer. "It will be really strange seeing him again…If it's him."

"There's nothing to indicate it isn't." Aerith noted. "Does the description match?"

"Perfectly."

"Well then," She smiled brightly. "Let's just assume it's really him and be happy that you have one of your old friends back."

Leon felt a faint grin tug at his lips. He really did hope it was Zell. Perhaps if Zell had made it and fate had seen fit to bring them together, others were out there also. He allowed a bit of hope to be reborn.

"I guess I should write back." He retook the letter from Aerith. "Better to find out sooner than later."

--0—0—

Yes, Riku-Rocks and I are insane. Since we loved doing Embrace to Awaken so much we are at again, this time with a different pairing and different idea. I will advise ahead of time, I am no where near as versed in FF8 as I am in FF7 so if there are issues, forgive me. I think I have Zell done fairly well by now.

Thank you all for sticking with us and reviews are welcome. …And I forward them all to Riku-Rocks but I'm sure she would not mind a few pm's. ::smile::


	2. A Brewing Squall

Chapter 2: A Brewing Squall

Leon walked into the Gummi garage just as he would any other day. Cid glanced at him for a moment, snorted and returned to his work. When the sable-haired man stepped beside him, the older man flicked his eyes over long enough to note the trace of anxiety in Leon's eyes.

"They ain't here yet."

"I noticed;" Leon responded dryly.

Cid turned toward him. "You're really hoping this guy's the real deal, ain't you?"

A single sable eyebrow rose.

"I don't blame you." The blonde man stamped out his cigarette. "I always thought it was fuckin' weird that you were the only one. There had to be someone somewhere."

A soft ping rang through the garage.

Cid stood. "They're here."

Leon followed him out to the platform. A rather advanced looking Gummi dropped down and settled smoothly on the landing pad. It powered down and there was a moment of stillness.

Leon folded his arms, adopting what he hoped was a relaxed posture. Inside, however, he was feeling something entirely different. He honestly did not know what he was going to do if this was really…

The ramp came down from the center of the ship. Scrooge waddled out first, tipping his top hat to them before shuffling off toward town. King Mickey and a blonde, tattooed human male followed shortly after him.

Leon's breath actually hitched.

Zell grinned as he traipsed down the ramp, eyes twinkling. They stopped just before the two men and Zell raised a hand in greeting. "Hey there, Squall."

The smile that tugged at Leon's lips felt rather foreign. He could not quite describe the emotion that filled his chest. There was certainly disbelief and confusion, but overriding those was hopeful relief.

The blonde smirked at him. "Or is it Leon now? You know, don't you think you could have come up with something a little more original?"

Cid snorted. "I fucking like this guy already."

"So what; you've got nothing to say for yourself?" Zell shook his head. "You haven't changed a bit, Squall."

"Where have you been?" asked Leon quietly.

"Some Notre Dame place," Zell shrugged. "It wasn't bad, hung out with some gypsies for a while."

"Gypsies, huh," mumbled Leon. He really had no idea what to say.

Cid quirked an eyebrow and smirked at Leon's obvious discomfort. He looked down at Mickey. "So how did the Gummi handle?"

"Brilliantly;" Mickey began walking toward the ship, Cid following. "Think you can mod others like that?"

Their voices faded as they entered the Gummi.

Leon dropped his arms. "I'll show you around town."

Zell simply fell in beside him.

--0—0—

For the next hour, Leon guided Zell through town. He was sure to point out every location the blonde man needed to know. It was a rather formal tour.

He knew Zell was watching him closely, but he simply was not sure what to say. From the moment Zell had appeared, a thousand thoughts had begun circulating through his mind. Zell was really there. Who else could be wandering around out there?

"Leon!" Yuffie suddenly called down from a nearby rooftop. She smiled when she caught sight of Zell. "Oh, is that your friend? He's kinda cute."

The man in question chuckled. "Why am I suddenly reminded of Selphie?"

"Zell, Yuffie," Leon motioned vaguely; "Yuffie, Zell."

"So does this mean I can call you Squall now?" Yuffie asked animatedly, "'Cause yanno, the whole Squeon thing is getting really old."

The blonde snorted. "Yeah, what's with that, Squall? Couldn't you think of something better?"

Leon placed two fingers to his forehead. "Did you want something, Yuffie?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Riku wanted you to know he finished with that coding project thing. He's now helping Aerith with something or another."

"Fine;" He glanced over to find Zell looking at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Zell grinned. "Just wondering when I'm gonna meet all your new friends."

"You'll meet everyone at dinner." Leon dropped his hand. "Yuffie's the worst of them."

"Hey!" The young ninja protested. She jumped off the roof, landing just before both of the men. "I am _not_ a pest!"

"Did I say you were a pest?"

"No, but you were thinking it!"

Zell watched in amusement.

Yuffie turned back to him and spoke enthusiastically. "You'll love us. Squall does even if he doesn't show it and complains about everything. He's just a morose guy who needs a-"

Leon dropped a closed fist on the girl's head. "It's Leon."

Yuffie pouted then stuck out her tongue and skipped off, throwing a wave over her shoulder. "See ya at dinner, Zell!"

The blonde man laughed. "Yeah, definitely Selphie… If Irvine ever finds his way here he's going to be all over her."

There was a long moment of silence.

Leon flicked his eyes toward his old school mate. "Do you know if he's alive?"

"Well, I don't _know_." Zell replied quietly. "But he, Quistis, and I were all together during the attack. If I made it, I don't see why they wouldn't have."

Leon had been thinking along the same line. If Zell was here, the others had to have at least made it through the initial attack also. They had to have ended up somewhere. He could track them down…

The blonde looked at him hesitantly. "What about Rinoa?"

Leon squared his shoulders. "She's gone."

Zell did not ask for further information. He gave Leon a moment before continuing. "Whatcha thinking, Squall?" 

Gray eyes flicked over. "I'm thinking that you need to start calling me by the right name."

"I'm not calling you Leon." Zell snorted. "Your name is Squall and that's that. Deal."

Leon closed his eyes and sighed to himself. Again, he felt that unfamiliar tugging on his lips. Zell had not changed at all. It made him wonder just how much he himself truly had.

--0—0—

The two SeeDs made their way to Aerith's house where dinner was being held that evening. Cid leaned against the front of the house, Mickey sitting on the railing of the small porch that offset the steps to the door. The demure king was speaking animatedly to someone sitting below him, hidden from view by the lattice that made up the sides of the little platform.

Leon took the lead up the few steps and glanced over and down to look at the hidden individual. A trace of a smile tugged at the scarred man's lips. "I hear today was a good day."

A silver-haired teenager shrugged from where he sat on the wood slats. "There's still a lot more to be done."

Cid flicked his cigarette butt away. "You're a fucking bad influence on the kid, Leonhart. He's beginning to sound like you."

Mickey chuckled. "Oh, I don't think that's the case at all."

Cid went into the house and Mickey turned on the railing. The silver-haired boy stood, aqua eyes glancing at the unfamiliar man through a curtain of bangs. He did not ask who he was, but simply waited.

Zell grinned and held out his hand. "I'm Zell. If we wait for Squall to introduce us, it will never happen."

A faint smile appeared on the other's face. He took Zell's hand and shook it briefly. "Riku; and you're likely right."

"Oh, I know I am." Zell laughed loudly. "He plays the brooding anti-hero really well."

Leon quirked a sable eyebrow at Zell, but said nothing; Riku however, flicked his eyes toward Leon. The moment the older man glanced back, the teen averted his eyes.

Yuffie suddenly appeared in the doorway, threatening to eat everyone's food if they did not get their butts inside now. Zell faked a heart palpation and headed in. Mickey hopped down and followed.

Riku gave Leon a look. "He reminds me of Sora."

"...Yeah."

The teen nodded once and went inside. Leon took another moment, letting his thoughts settle. Allowing himself a brief smile, he also entered the house.

--0—0—

Yuffie ended up finishing the introductions, and she and Zell chatted throughout dinner. Aerith and Mickey seemed to be entertained by the pair. Cloud and Cid did not act any differently than they normally would. Riku was quietly watching the group, adding comments only when included into the conversation.

Leon was also quiet; however, it was not his usual silence. An unusual need to do _something_ was tugging at him. He had this sudden drive to leave Radiant Garden and just go out searching. He had never felt that before now.

He did not know why he had never before seriously considered looking for other survivors from his world. Perhaps he had just assumed that they would have ended up the same place he did. After all, Aerith and all of them had stayed together, only having lost Cloud for a brief period. It had never really occurred to him that they could have been scattered.

"Leon?" Aerith called for his attention again. When he looked over, she smiled at him. "Are you finished?"

"Oh, yes." He stood and picked up his plate, which had been barely touched. He moved to take it to the kitchen but the woman took it from him. "Go visit with your friend. I have all of this."

Leon almost protested but instead nodded. He joined the small group in the main room, noting that Cid and Cloud had left. That was not unusual.

He sat on the couch beside Zell, listening as the blonde continued with his story about a hunchback in a bell tower. Again, his thoughts began drifting. Why had he never gone out looking for anyone?

"Yo, Leonhart, quit spacing out on us." The tattooed blonde pushed his shoulder. "You're thinking too much again."

"There's a lot on my mind."

Zell snorted. "Isn't there always? That was always one of your problems, Squall. You spend too much time thinking and forget to do."

"Oh, I hear that!" Yuffie laughed.

"There's nothing wrong with considering your choices." A quiet voice spoke from the corner. Riku was sitting on the desk, hand clasped together before him. "Impulsiveness often leads to disaster."

Leon gave the teen a faint smile. "Thank you. Zell has always given me flak for actually thinking things over before doing them."

"So does Sora."

Zell looked between the two. He shook his head and leaned back on the couch. "There's nothing wrong with weighing the options, but you can't spend too much time on it and completely miss the opportunity. Sometimes, you just have to do it."

"A case can definitely be made for both points." Mickey agreed from his spot on the easy chair. He gave Leon a curious look. "So just what are you thinking so much about?"

Leon did not answer immediately. He was not entirely sure what he was thinking. No, that was not true. He knew what he wanted to do, but it was not at all practical and more than a little impulsive. He needed to say something.

"I'm just wondering if any of the others are out there." He stated slowly. "I feel terrible about it, but I've never gone out and really searched. I asked around, stayed on the lookout, but I never tried to look for myself."

Zell did not seem at all troubled by the small confession. He shrugged a bit. "You had no reason to go out searching. You were alone on a strange world. Rinoa was gone and all evidence pointed to us being gone also. You asked around, you didn't just write us off."

Leon did not believe that one for a moment. He should have tried harder, should have done out to at least a couple of worlds. How much sooner could he and Zell have found each other? Who else was wandering around out there? How much emotional trauma could he have spared himself and the others?

There were no answers for these questions but he knew one thing. He could make up for his inactivity now. He could do something to atone for not doing more in the beginning.

"I'm going to look for the others." He announced quite suddenly.

Zell turned to him with a scrunched up face. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Are you serious?" Yuffie stared. "You don't have a clue where to look!"

"It doesn't matter." Leon studied his fingers laced before him. "I have to do this."

Mickey watched the sable-haired man closely, "Any idea where you want to start such an endeavor?"

Leon turned toward Zell. "You said you had heard rumors. What were they?"

"Well the only ones that seemed to have any merit to them were all about a cowboy or gunslinger wandering around a place called Agrabah." Zell scratched his head. "All of those rumors were about the same."

"That gives me a starting point. I'll go to Agrabah and ask around myself."

Mickey frowned. "You can't wander around alone."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, the Heartless do not concern me," Leon stated easily.

"The Heartless are still a larger threat that you believe." Mickey countered sternly. "There are a great many denizens of darkness still actively at work…Too many for one person."

Leon sighed through closed lips. "I'm going to do this."

The mouse worried his non-existent lips. Suddenly he nodded. "Fine, then I'll go with you."

"No." Leon immediately argued. "You are too important to be running around the Kingdom on what is probably a wild Chocobo chase."

"I don't think you understand how potentially dangerous it could be out there."

"There is no way I'm going to let you come with me."

A quiet voice from the corner broke into the conversation. "I'll go."

The other four in the room turned to look at Riku. The teen had been silent throughout the entire discussion, simply listening. He was now openly regarding Leon. "This is obviously important to you and there isn't a whole lot that I'm really doing here. Plus, I'm a Keybearer so if there is any serious trouble out there I can deal with it."

Leon was looking at Riku oddly. The boy barely knew him, and yet he was offering to spend an indiscernible amount of time wandering the worlds with him. They had hardly spoken during the few weeks that the boy had been there, both keeping relatively to themselves. Though they got along rather well, Leon was uncertain as to what would happen if they had to be alone together in a cramped Gummi ship for any length of time.

A faint smile appeared on Riku's face, almost as if he knew what Leon was thinking. "There will probably be times you won't even know I'm there."

Leon nodded once.

Tuning back to King Mickey, Leon noticed that the mouse was grinning at Riku. Clearly, he was pleased about this turn of events. The ruler looked to Leon. "Whelp, that's good enough for me. Riku's a better fighter than I am, and he's excellent at piecing together odd bits of information and reading people. He'll be quite good for you."

Leon questioned the odd wording of the last sentence but did not comment on it. "Fine; Then we'll leave in the morning."

Riku only nodded.


	3. Griever's Tale

Chapter Three: Griever's Tale

"I can't believe you're seriously doing this."

"Why?" Leon did not look over from his packing. "You know me. Once I make up my mind to do something, I do it."

Zell watched him for a long moment. "It isn't like you to go off on a mission on just a rumor."

Leon remained silent.

"You've changed, Squall." The tattooed blonde stated, tilting his head to the side. "I just can't tell if it's a good or bad change."

"……"

Zell sighed as Leon closed up his two bags. "You sure you don't want me to come with?"

"You've been traveling a lot and should rest. You also need to adjust to being here." Leon glanced over. "That is if you plan to stay here."

The other grinned. "Afraid I'm gonna leave you again?"

Leon snorted softly, hefting one of the bags. He refused to show his relief that Zell intended to remain on Radiant Garden; "Cid's in charge of things while I'm gone; think of the house as your own, no parties."

"Yes, sir."

Zell followed Leon out of the room and then out of the house. They walked quietly to the garage, Leon trying not to think about how crazy this endeavor was. He knew it was likely a futile effort.

Riku was already waiting with Cid. He stood beside the middle-aged man, altering the blueprints spread out across the worktable. Cid looked over as the newcomers approached. "So yer really gonna do this."

"Try not to fall behind schedule." Leon set his bags near the ship.

"Yeah, I fucking heard you the first time." Cid grumbled.

Leon gave him a look but said nothing. He redirected his eyes toward Riku. "You ready?"

The teen took a moment to answer. He finished noting something on the blueprints and set the pencil down. Turning toward Cid, he quietly informed the older blonde that it should work now. He then moved away from the table, head angled down. "All set."

There was an awkward moment. Leon considered Riku before stating, "You know you don't have to come with me."

"Yes, I do." Riku spoke easily. "Even if I hadn't given Mickey my word that I would, you're going to need me to unlock any sealed keyholes we come across."

Leon had completely forgotten about those.

He nodded once and turned toward the ship. Riku picked up his travel bag and quietly followed. At the ship entrance, Leon tossed his bags in, pausing just outside the door. Riku passed him and murmured that he would get the ship started.

When Riku was out of sight, Leon began trying to give instructions to Cid again. The man snorted and cut him off. "Shut the fuck up and go, Leonhart. We've got this."

"Fine; don't mess up."

"Yeah;" Cid waved the threat off. He tossed his cigarette away and returned to the workbench. "You just make sure you take care of the kid."

"Whatever." Leon glanced at Zell, who grinned. "What?"

"Nothing;" Zell held up both hands. "You and Riku are going to have a nice, long, _quiet _trip since he seems to talk about as much as you. I'm kinda glad I'm not going."

"Zell-"

"You make sure to let me know if you find anything out," continued the tattooed blond as if Leon had not said anything. "And don't get upset if you don't find anything. If the rumor turns out to be a bust, come back."

Leon vaguely indicated he heard and boarded the ship.

Riku had stowed their bags and was calmly running through pre-flight from the co-pilot seat. Leon dropped into the seat beside him, glancing over the settings. The teen did not look over. "I wasn't sure how you wanted to do this, so I haven't done anything with the nav-gem."

Leon nodded, even knowing Riku would not see it. Logically, they should simply head for Agrabah. That was where the rumors were centered and the sooner they confirmed or discredited those, the sooner they could get back to Radiant Garden.

Leon began entering coordinates but they were not the ones for Agrabah. He was not entirely sure why he was using the ones he had chosen. There was no actual _need _for them to make this side trip, yet he had an overwhelming desire to do it. He felt Riku's eyes on him but the boy said nothing.

Two hours passed in near silence. Riku had pulled out a calculus book and was completing some schoolwork. Leon leaned back in his seat, eyes closed and simply rested. Occasionally, he opened them enough to glance at Riku. Neither of them felt the need for conversation.

When a warning alarm sounded, Leon sat up looking slightly worried. Riku finished his problem and closed his book. "We're coming up on the gate; time to make myself useful."

Leon studied the screen with a faint frown. "What do we need to do?"

"All you need to do is make sure we stay on course." The teen took hold of the weapons control. His expression did not change as he set his eyes on the targeting screen. "I've got the Heartless."

On screen, nearly two dozen blips moved closer to their position. Leon glanced at Riku with a touch of concern but the younger male did not show the slightest trace of worry. While Leon did not doubt Riku's skill, he could not help but wonder if the boy could handle this. As far as he knew, Riku had never done this kind of thing before.

Outside of the movement of Riku's hand on the firing mechanism, the teen did not move for the next ten minutes. An oddly calm look came to his face as his eyes steadily tracked the blips on the screen. Very few of his shots missed and once the last Heartless were dispatched; he simply released the control and closed his eyes.

Another moment passed before the teen spoke. "The gate's open now."

Leon quirked an eyebrow and, before he could even think of the proper question, Riku gave a very faint grin. "Don't bother asking how. I couldn't even begin to explain it."

There was a second of comfortable peace between them. Riku gestured with his chin toward the flight control. "We'll be coming up on wherever it is you've brought us in a few minutes."

Turning to look, Leon saw that Riku was correct. The ship was already slowing as it approached the set coordinates. The in-ship display changed to the outside view to reveal the space before them.

Scattered among the backdrop of stars were large chunks of rock. Smaller bits drifted lazily among them. A fine mist floated through the pieces in a ribbon that seemed to be trying to hold everything together loosely.

Leon felt a deep ache within his chest. He had not been here since the world was torn apart. Looking over the silent devastation, he had to wonder how it was that anyone could have survived this.

The scarred man knew Riku was watching him carefully. He also knew he should offer the teen some explanation, only he was not sure what that explanation was. He still did not quite know what possessed him to come here.

Again, Riku somehow already had figured out what was going on. "I wish I knew why some worlds weren't restored."

"Maybe some were just too far gone already when the Heartless came." Leon spoke softly. "Maybe our world's heart was already weak and when the darkness overtook it, it simply couldn't take anymore and died."

Riku did not offer any comment.

As the ship continued its casual circuit around what had once been orbit, Leon simply studied the passing asteroids. He could not help but wonder what parts of his home world he was looking at. There was just no way to tell anymore.

When the moon came into view, he was startled. His breath actually hitched and his shoulders stiffened. He did not know why he had assumed it would be gone also. The moon was separate from the world it orbited. It had no heart to take.

"Leon?" Riku quietly asked with a touch of concern to his voice.

"I don't know why I wanted to come out here. It isn't as if there's anything important here that I need to find. This," he gestured vaguely; "isn't going to help me find Irvine."

"Maybe you just needed to see it."

Leon glanced over. Riku was not looking at him, but staring off in the distance. The silvered one had a thoughtful expression to his features. Leon turned back to the view. "...Maybe. Over the years, I've put a lot of distance between then and now."

He watched the moon pass by. "I wonder if there's anything left there."

"The moon seems to be relatively untouched," noted Riku. "What should be there?"

"Nothing we'd want. The world's monsters came from the moon." Leon explained in a near absent tone. It did not seem right that the source his world's trouble still existed when the world itself did not. "We spent a lot of time fighting those things but it made for excellent training."

"Garden was a military school, right?"

"Mercenary," corrected Leon. "There were three: Balamb, Galbadia and Trabia. Each one was its own army. I was in Balamb along with Zell, Quistis and Selphie."

"How did you meet Irvine?"

Leon moistened his lips. "He was brought in from Galbadia Garden to help us with a mission. He was a sharp-shooter."

There was a trace of humor to Riku's voice. "You weren't just dealing with monsters in Garden, were you?"

A faint smile tugged at Leon's lips. "No."

"Why did you need a sniper from another school?"

"The mission was a joint effort between Balamb and Galbadia. We didn't have our own sharp-shooter so Irvine was added to the team." Relaxing a bit into his seat, Leon shook his head. "However, he didn't end up doing what he was supposed to and the mission was a failure."

Riku regarded him a moment. "Yet somehow, he wound up joining your party and becoming one of your friends."

Steel- colored eyes flicked over. "He felt horrible about choking up. He joined up with us to make sure the mission got done."

Nodding, Riku turned back to the view of outside. "I can relate to that."

Leon had no idea what the teen meant by that but did not ask. He instead straightened his back and reached for the navigation controls. He decided he was done here. Still not entirely sure what exactly his intention was to come out here, he felt somehow better for having done so.

He laid in the coordinates for Agrabah. The ship pulled away from its orbit and headed for open-space. On the screen, the moon and remains of what had been his home for eighteen years grew smaller.

"Leon?"

The sable-haired man glanced at Riku. The teen was not looking at him, eyes still fixed on the exterior view. There was an almost distant feel to them.

"If your world had been restored, would you have gone back to it?"

Leon had never stopped to consider that question before. He never dealt with 'what ifs'. There is what was and what was not. It did no good to wonder about what could have been and things that would never happen.

He was about to answer but then realized he was not actually expected to. Riku had thrown the question out without the intention of wanting a response. Leon got the impression Riku merely wanted to get him to think about it.

The ship shuddered as it increased speed and took off toward its new destination. Maintaining their mutual silence, Riku turned and returned to his calculus. Leon watched him for a moment before standing up and heading for the storage locker.

He pulled out the smaller of his bags and rummaged through it. He located one of the books he brought for these long stretches and replaced the bag in the locker. Settling himself back in his seat, he simply began reading.

They stayed that way for the next several hours.


	4. Wonders of Many Sorts

Chapter Four: Wonders of Many Sorts

The moment they set foot on Agrabah, Leon decided he did not like the world. He had never cared much for extreme heat or sand and this place was almost nothing but those two things. He did not complain about it and simply walked through the Bizarre, trying to decide where they should begin their search.

He flicked his eyes toward Riku. The teen seemed to be oddly tense as they walked, aqua eyes casting about rather frequently. He did not ask what the problem was but adjusted his position to walk just a bit closer to the boy.

"There aren't a lot of people out today;" Riku quietly noted.

Leon nodded; he had noticed that fact also. "We'll start asking around and hopefully someone will have something we can use."

Riku rather stiffly moved away to speak to one of the vendors across the street. Leon watched him a moment before quickly asking a passer-by a few questions. As soon as he was done, he headed back for Riku who had gone on to the next stand.

Instead of doing the logical thing and sticking to the opposite side of the row, Leon found himself keeping within a few feet of Riku. He questioned some of the patrons and odd people wandering through the marketplace while the teen continued with the shop keeps. It was not the most practical arrangement, but it was the one Leon felt compelled to go with.

Riku thanked to the woman he had been speaking to and turned. He took the few steps to Leon and brushed once at his silver bangs. "The woman here says she vaguely remembers seeing a tall guy wearing an unusual-looking hat about a week ago. She described him as having reddish-brown hair, pulled back into a long tail and holding a long coat."

"That sounds like it could be him." Leon spoke thoughtfully. "This isn't getting us very far."

Abruptly, someone cried out and a commotion arose before two of the stands at the upcoming juncture. Without a word, Leon and Riku took off at run, weaving through the small herd of people running in the opposite direction. When they reached the clearing, both were briefly stunned by what they saw.

From between the stands, a group of six Heartless poured out.

Deciding questions could wait; Leon drew Revolver and targeted the closest one. Riku summoned Way to the Dawn and sliced through one that was coming towards him. As he moved on to the next enemy, the teen caught sight of another heading toward a man owning the furthest of the two nearest stands, whom had simply hidden under his cart. He threw a Dark Aura at the villain while simultaneously striking the Shadow beside him with a well-executed backswing.

Meanwhile, Leon dispatched his second Heartless. Seeing that Riku had handled the threat to the civilian in addition to the ones nearby, he took aim at the remaining Heartless and shot it in the head. It dissolved into a puddle of black, just as the rest did.

He gave Riku a quick look to make sure he was all right and at the teenager's nod went to assist the shaken shop keep. He held out his free hand, keeping his Gunblade ready, and helped the man get unsteadily to his feet. The old man mumbled his thanks and ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"Look's like the rumors are true, eh?" He laughed weakly. He began checking his stand for damage.

"That wasn't the first one of these attacks?" Leon noticed that Riku had banished his Keyblade and decided it was safe to put away his own weapon.

"What?" The merchant glanced back for a moment. "Oh, that. There's been a few of them over the past few weeks, nothing like there was a few months ago but people are keeping off the streets again anyway. It's been terrible for business."

Leon turned toward Riku, catching a brief glimpse of his aqua eyes and the concerned look to them. The teen angled his head down and was clearly deep in thought. Leon twisted his neck to address the merchant again. "Has there been anyone unusual in the area?"

"Well," the old man considered this for a moment. "Oh, there was a tall, young fellow that attempted to help during some of the earlier incidents."

"Was he wearing unusual clothes?"

"A long coat and funny brimmed hat; I don't think anyone's seen him for awhile though." The man scratched at his salt-and-pepper hair. "I reckon one of the fiends might have gotten him."

Leon doubted that. "Is there anyone that might know where he could have gone?"

"Akbeed is the one to talk to if you want information." The shop keep chuckled. "But it won't come cheap."

The man told Leon where he could find this Akbeed and waved off the sable-haired man's thank you. He simply went back to stand behind his cart and started getting ready to close up of the day. He muttered irritably about not making any Munny.

Leon took the few steps toward Riku and felt a compulsion to place his hand on the teen's shoulder. Riku seemed rather worried. He instead folded his arms. "What's up?"

"Sora sealed this world." Riku stated slowly. "There shouldn't be _any_ Heartless here."

"Maybe these are just lingering ones. That's why we still have to deal with them on Radiant Garden."

Riku clearly did not agree but he nodded once, "So, where to next?"

"There's a store two rows down. Apparently the owner is the local information broker."

Nodding one more, Riku turned in the direction in Leon indicated. They fell into step together and walked quietly. Riku remained tense and Leon almost asked what was troubling him. It had to be more than the Heartless attack. Riku had been ill at ease since they arrived.

They came across a small, sandblasted building with a striped fabric awning shading the door-less entry. This had to be the place. After a brief glance at one another, Leon stepped in with Riku just behind him.

There were piles of what most would call junk lying about. Shelves lined the side opposing walls with random items and obnoxiously glitzy displays. Two counters sat before the back wall with a division leading to a door to a back room.

A moment after their entrance, an extremely short, greasy looking man emerged from that doorway. A phony smile took up half his face and as he passed between the counters, he threw out his arms. "Welcome! Welcome to my shop! What can I be offering two such fine customers as yourselves?"

"We're looking for someone." Leon folded his arms, clearly indicating he was not in the mood for any games.

Akbeed's smile fell and was replaced by a calculating gaze. He flicked his gaze toward Riku, who appeared just as serious as the older man did. "Is that so? Well, I might be able to help; I do have several…sources out there."

"There was a man wearing a long, tan coat, boots, and a wide-brimmed hat." Leon began describing. He noticed that the merchant's expression changed.

"Reddish-brown hair in a pony tail, face nearly as pretty as this one here?" The greasy man nodded in Riku's direction. There was an appreciative look to his eyes and Leon took a minute step closer to the teenager.

Riku continued to watch the man carefully but there was a barely discernable tightening to his jaw. "Have you seen him?"

The man laughed and waved a hand. "Of course I have! One doesn't miss someone like that. They stand out in a crowd, not that he ever attempted to blend in."

Leon was quickly losing patience with this man. "Do you know where we can find him?"

"Oh, he's long gone." Akbeed smirked. "He moved on to brighter pastures, you could say."

Taking a shallow breath, Leon relaxed his posture just a touch. "Where did he go?"

"I could tell you but what do I get in exchange?" The small man tapped at his chin thoughtfully. "I can't just be giving things away for free, there's no profit."

"Look, you-" Leon stepped forward but Riku threw out a hand to stop him. He lifted an eyebrow at the youth, wondering what Riku thought he was doing.

"What would you have us do?" The silver-haired male asked steadily, dropping his hand back down.

"Ah!" The man waved a finger at him. "You are a smart one!" He looked to Leon. "You need to keep this one close by. He knows how to get things done."

Akbeed took short steps toward Riku. "Out in the desert there is a cavern, a cave of wonders with great treasures within it."

"I've heard of it." Despite Riku's bored tone, there was an uncomfortable quality to it.

The merchant grinned almost maliciously. "I am certain you have."

Leon watched the pair, wondering just what was going on here. Akbeed made it sound as if Riku had been here before. If Riku had, why had he not said anything about it before?

Riku dropped his head, bangs sliding forward. "What are you after?"

"There is a chalice stored within the third chamber of the Cave of Wonders." A distant quality came to the man's voice and Leon struggled not to roll his eyes at it. "It is known as the Purity Chalice and quite valuable."

Riku nodded once. "Fine, if we go and retrieve it for you, will you tell us everything we want to know?"

"Of course," Akbeed bowed. "I always hold up my end of a bargain. The question is, will you?"

"We'll be back shortly." Riku motioned toward Leon with his head and left the shop. Leon caught Akbeed's eye and shot him a brief glare before following the teen.

Outside, the oppressive heat struck them again and they needed a moment to let their eyes adjust to the blaring sunlight. They stood together under the cloth awning, waiting for the other to say something. For a long time, neither did.

Finally, Leon lifted his face up. "So, we're headed for the desert."

Riku sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry for jumping in like that. I just didn't think getting into a fight was going to help."

"Don't worry about." The former SeeD spoke dismissively. "This is the better option. I was letting my frustration get the better of me."

"We all have those moments."

"Yeah;" There was a comfortable pause. Leon glanced over and noticed that Riku was again taking brief looks around and had brought his left hand up to wrap it around his right elbow. "Well, how do we get to this Cave of Wonders?"

Aqua eyes could barely be seen beneath the silver curtain of Riku's bangs. A little smirk tugged at his lips. "Ever ridden a camel?"

Leon stared at him. "No, have you?"

"Nope;" Riku stepped into the sunlight. "But it's that or walking."

Leon followed him with a smirk of his own. "Let's find ourselves a couple of camels."

--0—0—

The journey through the desert was long, boring, and _hot_. It would have been much smarter, not to mention saner, to have waited until nightfall to make the trek but they both felt a need to get the task over with so they could get their information and leave this world. Leon still was not sure what was bothering Riku but he wanted to see it end.

It was over an hour before they spotted a large, feline-looking head emerging from the sand. There were torches before it and a foreboding feeling that came with the sight of it. One would have to be really treasure-driven or insane to want to enter the sand animal's open mouth.

They tied up the camels to one of the posts outside and stood together before the gaping jaw.

"Any idea what we're going to find in here?" Leon muttered.

"Treasure;" Riku replied dryly, "And probably a whole bunch of traps and nasty things protecting it."

"Fun."

The silvered teen looked over. There was amusement in his eyes. "Are these quests ever anything else?"

Chuckling, Leon wordlessly conceded the point. Both settled themselves, preparing for whatever was about to greet them. Then, together they entered the mouth of the cave.

It became notably cooler as they descended the few steps into the main chamber. Mountains of gold and trinkets surrounded them. One could not help but feel overwhelmed by the sight of so many riches.

As they passed through, both were on alert for any sign of trouble though they doubted they would come across any in the first room. It was essentially a lobby and was likely to be completely clear to lure the less experienced thieves and treasure hunters into a false sense of security. The entry to the second room would probably be clear also.

It was and they paused just inside of it. Leon casually held Revolver in his hand and could sense Riku tense up a bit. There was something wrong here.

With a quick glance at each other, they stepped off the small landing. No sooner had they when nearly a dozen Heartless appeared and a barrier materialized behind them. The creatures made no move toward them, apparently content to let Leon and Riku come to them.

"I've got left." Riku murmured, bringing Way to the Dawn to bear. Without further word, he leapt forward and cleaved the nearest Heartless. This triggered the other ones into action.

Leon hefted his Gunblade and began his own attack. He cut down one and moved onto another just after Riku finished with his second. As Leon dispatched his next opponent, one swooped down from behind and dug a fairly deep gouge into his back.

He hissed with pain and turned to deal with the Heartless. Before he even completed the move, however, Riku had stepped over and destroyed it for him. Then teen threw up a Dark Shield to block two more that were rushing him and muttered something at Leon, who had gone back to the creature before him.

As the scarred man sliced through it, he noticed that his wound felt healed. Riku must have cast a cure spell on him. He moved on to the next, risking a quick glance at the teen. He had never seen Riku in an actual combat situation and he had to say, the youth was good.

Riku simply slipped between the Heartless as if they were nothing. His moments were fluid and precise, not nearly as flashy as Sora tended to be. He was focused on the fight and everything around him.

The pair continued to battle until all the Heartless were eliminated. The last two remaining trained on Riku, one in front and one behind him. Leon automatically rushed over, taking care of the back one as Riku dealt with the one before him.

Putting away their weapons, they allowed themselves a moment to recover. Riku turned away to slowly walk toward the arch back they way they came, watching the barrier drop. Leon flicked his bangs from his face and watched Riku.

The teen was clearly thinking carefully about something and Leon debated asking what that was. He was fairly certain that Riku would tell him anything he needed to know, but there was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that _wanted _to know. For whatever reason, he _wanted _to hear Riku's thoughts.

Silver hair glinted a dull lavender shade in the torch light as Riku turned back towards him. "Thank you for getting that one off my back."

Leon shrugged. "Thank you for healing my back."

Riku made a dismissive gesture. "It wasn't anything. I got used to being the support."

"Well," Leon waited a beat, not entirely sure why. "We better move on to the next chamber."

Nodding, Riku made the few steps to the center of the room. He stopped and stared at the rug he stood on. "Leon, both of these Heartless attacks… they're not random."

"What do you mean?" The older man asked in concern.

Riku angled his head just enough for Leon to see him speak. "Someone is controlling them."

The words struck Leon harshly. He did not doubt that Riku would recognize things he could not. The very notion of another coordinated Heartless attack on the worlds disturbed him deeply.

Taking a breath, he nodded. He knew they each understood that they could do nothing about it at present. Riku's observation had been shared and noted and, when they could, it would be discussed further.

For now, they had one more chamber to get through.

Leon fell into place beside the slightly shorter male and they approached the mouth to the next space. Just before reaching the threshold, a breeze swept through the room and the torches burned out. The only light remaining was from a single flame coming from the inside of the third chamber.

Riku's eyes adjusted first and he made one cautious step forward, placing one hand against Leon's chest to keep him from moving. The teen scanned the area carefully and noted that there were now several rises in the floor surrounding the doorway. "It's some kind of trap. There are five bumps in the ground across the entrance."

Leon crouched down, staining a bit to see what Riku was seeing. He could just see the uneven terrain. The question was; should they avoid the disruptions or only use those? "...Any ideas?"

"I didn't see any kind of clue when I surveyed the area." Riku spoke slowly. "This is where Sora would come in handy."

"I'm guessing it's some kind of weight trap but there's no indication of whether they want us to avoid the rises or stick to them." Leon worried his lip. "Is there anything heavy nearby?"

"Yeah," Riku walked over to a gold statue about a foot tall. He hefted it over and Leon took it from him.

The former mercenary randomly decided to try a bump first and set the idol down upon the one nearest to him. There was a loud rumble and the ground shook. The bumps lowered to become flush with the rest of the stone. Things settled and Leon glanced over.

He was able to get a fairly good look at Riku's expression. The younger one thought this was too easy. He happened to agree. There had to be something more to this.

A sudden cracking noise sounded and the entire stretch between the archways collapsed. The statue fell away along with the stone into a gaping hole. They never heard it hit bottom.

"Well, now what?" Riku spoke with a bit of amusement.

"We find a way to get across a six-foot hole." Leon answered in nearly the same tone. "This has to be a new one. I can't see Sora, Donald or Goofy being patient enough to figure this thing out."

"Wait a second." Riku whirled around. "Sora said they had a flying carpet they found in here."

"...A flying carpet?"

"Yeah," Riku headed back to the rug he had stood on earlier. Its corners were pinned down by odd pieces of treasure and he quickly removed them. "Carpet...?"

In response to the question, the rug twitched and, once it seemed to realize it was free, floated up. It curved as if regarding Riku before nudging the teen with a tasseled corner. It then straightened out for him.

He climbed on and it glided over to where Leon stood. With a barely seen grin, Riku ordered Leon to get on. Obviously distrustful, Leon gingerly did so and Carpet took off, whisking them across the maw and into the darkened next room.

It swept around once and stopped before the single torch still lit. They both slid off and approached the flickering light. There had to be a trick to this room involving the torch.

"Why do I have the feeling this is going to be either incredibly easy or obnoxiously complex?" Leon murmured, looking over the completely innocent pillar and light.

Riku silently studied the flame before whispering. "A single light within the darkness…"

Before Leon could ask what that meant, Riku stepped closer and blew out the torch. They were plunged into total black and another wind blew up around them, tugging at their hair and clothes. Some grit was kicked up and they had to close their eyes.

When the air again stilled, they reopened them to find all of the other torches had relit.

"Impressive." Leon noted.

"Trust the light that stands against the darkness." Riku stated simply. He looked around, noticing there was not much inside this room. There were a few piles of gold and jewels scattered about but nothing that looked like a chalice. "I'm not finding anything."

Leon was also searching with no luck. This had better not have been some kind of trick. If it was, he would not hesitate to kill the merchant for sending them into this death trap.

Something caught his eye within one of the piles. He strode over to it and knelt down. Moving a few handfuls of jewelry, he pulled out a gold container with a red top and white wings as handles. This had to be it. "What do you think, Riku?"

The teen looked over. "That's a chalice, all right. Question is, is it the right one?"

"It's the only one in here." He brought it over to Riku and held it out to him. When the other touched it, an odd, warm sensation fell over both of them and they dropped the item.

"Whoa," Riku rubbed at his arm a bit. "That was weird."

"Yeah," agreed Leon quietly. "I didn't feel anything when I was holding it alone."

Riku hunched down to regard the vessel. His voice was tight and a slump came to his shoulders. "Maybe it doesn't like me. It is called the Purity Chalice."

"You're just as pure as I am," Leon rushed out, "Probably more so."

Riku did not react at first. He then carefully reached forward and touched a handle. Nothing happened.

With a frown, he picked up the chalice and looked to Leon. "That's odd. Why would it react only when both of us touched it together?"

"No idea." Leon shook his head. He really did not have a clue and did not want to waste the time to think about it now. "Let's just get out of here."

Nodding, Riku turned to Carpet. "Will you take us out of here and back to Agrabah?"

The carpet loosely folded over, this time in a nodding motion, and again straightened out to let them on. Riku hopped on first and again Leon reluctantly followed. He had seen many strange things but this was one of the oddest.

Riku actually smiled at him and patted the patch of rug in front of himself. "Okay, Carpet. Take us back."


	5. Specter of the Past

Hey all. Sorry these updates have all been so long in coming. I'm slowing catching up on everything. I think this chapter ended up a bit shorter than the others but the ones after this will likely be fairly long. Again, I am not very familiar Final Fantasy VIII so I'm really relying on Riku-Rocks (and Sassy Aloo and my brother) for those details.

Neither Tifa or I own KH or VIII, though we wish we did and thank you for reading.

* * *

Chapter Five: Specter of the Past

They had Carpet stop outside the cave so that they could release the camels they had used and send them back to town. Neither had any doubt that the trained animals would know their way back and they could check up on them after they got the chalice to Akbeed. Once they got the camels moving, Riku prompted Carpet to take off again.

Now they walked back through the Bizarre to Akbeed's shop, both keeping a close eye on the surroundings. There were even less people out now, which was to be expected after the earlier Heartless attack. The trip to the shop went by quickly and quietly.

Leon entered the building first, immediately stepping to the side so that Riku could come in. The silvered teen shot him a brief look as he walked in, holding the chalice close to him. They fell into place together and approached the store counter.

Akbeed came out of the back, exactly as he had before, and started his welcoming speech. He got through the first welcome before cutting himself off and widening his eyes. He stepped closer, breathing out in awe, "Oh! You found it."

"Did you think we wouldn't?" Riku stated more than questioned. While his stance was relaxed, Leon could tell that the teen was prepared for anything.

"Of course not!" The very short man approached the teen, hands reaching out greedily for the item Riku held.

Riku lifted the chalice up just beyond Akbeed's reach. "Not yet."

"You still need to hold up your end of the deal," Leon crossed his arms before him, looking as casual as Riku but speaking with a deliberate edge to his voice.

Akbeed glanced between the two, laughing with a trace of nervousness. "Of course, of course; you wanted to know about the cowboy."

Leon angled his head slightly. That description was enough to confirm that the stranger everyone had seen was in fact Irvine, "...And?"

"He left," The small merchant stated simply.

Leon sighed inwardly. "Do you know where he went?"

Akbeed shrugged. "Could be anywhere but," he paused rather theatrically, "He was talking about a genie in a lamp."

The ex-SeeD was about to ask what that meant when he caught Riku tense slightly from the corner of his eye. He did not know what caused the change, there did not seem to be any visible reason behind it. Did the genie comment have some kind of meaning to him?

Riku's voice was the exact same as it had been since the beginning of the conversation, "Any idea where we can find the genie?"

"Last I heard, he was still with that street kid," answered Akbeed. He abruptly chuckled, "I still can't believe he's with Princess Jasmine. What a lucky break."

Riku did not comment, turning his face away for a moment. When he looked back, he only nodded and held out the Purity Chalice. "Thank you."

Akbeed hurriedly scurried over and nearly snatched the treasure from Riku's fingers. He practically cackled one he had it and began polishing the side. "Now I will finally know for sure…"

Despite his concern for Riku's sudden subtle shift in attitude, Leon found himself asking, "What exactly does that thing do?"

"It reacts when two hearts meant to be together hold it," the short merchant explained in a distant tone. "The purity of those hearts gives the chalice untold power."

For a moment, Leon wanted to ask 'power for what' but decided against it. He really did not need to know. Looking at Riku once more, he took a step toward the doorway. "It's time to go."

Riku did not say anything but turned and ducked out of the shop. Leon followed closely after, leaving Akbeed to whatever it was he was going to do. It no longer mattered to them and he had a bigger concern at the moment.

Riku had gone down the street, pausing near the corner. Leon stopped beside him and gave the teen a quick look, "You alright?"

Sighing, Riku flicked his aqua eyes over. "Jasmine is one of the Princesses of Heart."

Leon vaguely remembered hearing something about that. Sora had very briefly mentioned them when they relocated to Hollow Bastion. The Gunblade wielder recalled something about them being used to open the Door to Darkness… "Okay."

Riku laughed once without humor. "I kidnapped her."

The only physical reaction Leon gave was the slight widening of his eyes and a tensing to his muscles. Very little was known about Riku's actual role in the events leading to liberation of Radiant Garden. Riku had always remained quiet it about it and Sora would always say that it was over now and no longer mattered.

Leon studied the young man for a beat before taking a step forward. "Let's get some water."

Riku nodded, falling back into place beside him. They found a small street café and after purchasing two bottles of water, settled down at one of the back tables. It was a rather secluded location but gave them clear view if there was any trouble.

Leon took a drink, carefully watching Riku. The teen did not drink from his own water, instead cupping the cold ceramic between his hands on the table. He kept his head angled down and Leon found himself cursing those long bangs that hid Riku's face.

Eventually, Riku took a breath. "You already know that I ended up working for Maleficent. What I actually did for her was gather the remaining Princesses of Heart she and Xehanort's Heartless needed to open the door. In exchange, she promised to help me find Kairi."

Leaning forward, Leon placed his elbows on the table. "What about Sora?"

"She told me where he was almost right away," Riku did not move as he spoke. "She told me he was in Traverse Town and that he had already made all these new friends and completely forgotten me and Kairi. I didn't believe her at first because it didn't sound like him but…"

Riku shrugged a little. "I really don't know why I got so upset about Donald and Goofy. I'm not sure if it was actually them, or if I was just upset that Sora was doing fine without me. Either way, I ended up walking off on them and Maleficent was right there to re-enforce Sora's abandonment. I believed her and decided it was up to me to find Kairi because Sora was too caught up playing hero."

Leon listened quietly as the younger man gave his recounting of what had happened between him and his best friend. He briefly went on to detail the kidnappings he had performed to get any scraps of information Maleficent gave him. Riku spoke in a soft, even voice but every once in a while Leon could pick up hints of lingering pain and remorse.

Several times, Leon found himself wanting to reach over and take Riku's hand.

When Riku stopped talking, he finally took a drink of his water. His head remained angled down but he seemed a little less tense. He waited another minute before lifting his face up minutely. "Carpet should know how to find Aladdin."

Leon frowned at him. It seemed obvious to him that Aladdin was likely to hold a very large grudge against Riku for what he had done, and if the man was currently living with Princess Jasmine, it bode even worse for the youth. There was a good chance that if she saw him, she would order his immediate execution.

"Carpet may know where this genie is," the sable-haired man noted. "We may not need to get Aladdin involved."

"We can ask, but Aladdin is still our best bet to find him," Riku stated simply. "The easiest thing is to find Aladdin and convince him to tell us where Genie is. Maybe he'll help because he knows Sora would want him to. He doesn't have to like me to help us."

Leon was rather impressed by Riku's words. Riku had to realize what he could be potentially walking into by going to the boyfriend of the princess he had once kidnapped. Aladdin could very easily order for his arrest and execution the moment he realized who he was but Riku was planning to find him anyway.

Flicking his head a little, Riku took another drink before pushing his chair back. "We should get going."

"Yeah," Leon agreed, standing along with Riku. When the silvered youth turned, Leon caught sight of his aqua eyes and saw the apprehension Riku was feeling. Not sure why, he called out, "Riku."

Riku glanced at him, eyes barely visible, with a faint frown.

Leon had no idea why he had said the teen's name, but now that he had Riku's attention, he had to say something. "Let's get this done."

Angling his head slightly, Riku looked at him quizzically before the corner of a lip turned up just a touch, "Yeah."

They found Carpet where they left him in an alcove near the camel corral. He seemed happy to see them again and when Riku asked if he could help them find Genie, he moved in an affirmative motion. He rose and flattened out so that the two could once again climb on, then took flight.

It was a very short ride and Carpet flew into a large open window atop one of the higher buildings. The room they stopped in was a bit dingy with some tattered rugs and wall hangings along with some scattered items. A sleeping pad lay in a slightly raised platform.

Riku got off Carpet first, glancing around. Leon followed, also scanning the room for any sign of inhabitation. "Where do you think he is?"

The younger male took a few steps toward a broken cabinet, "Aladdin or Genie?"

"Well, I doubt a genie would live in a hovel like this."

"From what Sora's said, he's not exactly you're typical genie," noted Riku, running a finger along the top of the dusty cabinet. Carpet nodded in agreement. "My guess is he'll just suddenly-"

"Hey!" A booming voice broke out beside Leon, who fought against the reflex to attack the owner of said voice; "Carpet! Good to see you, man! How's it lying?"

Carpet stood upright to slap one of his tassels against the hand of a very large, blue-skinned being. The newcomer had a black goatee and hair pulled up in a head-knot. He wore the standard baggy pants but no shirt.

"So who are these guys?" The odd-looking man fluidly turned in the air to face Riku and Leon. "We don't get too many visitors and when we do, well, they always make for interesting times."

"Well, hopefully, that won't be the case this time," Riku spoke evenly. He stepped forward, body tense but voice steady. "My name's Riku, this is Leon."

"Riku," Genie frowned in thought, angling his head and folding his arms. "I know that name…"

"We're friends of Sora."

"Oh!" Genie exclaimed. "You're Sora's wayward friend, right?"

When Riku nodded in confirmation, Genie shook his head. "Man, you're taking a big risk being here. You're still a wanted man for what you did to Jasmine."

Riku looked away and tensed further. Without thinking about it, Leon stepped closer to him. He placed his hand on the teen's shoulder for a mere moment before dropping it. Steel eyes fixed on Genie, "Are you going to turn him in?"

The blue being snorted and waved his hand, "Sora explained what the deal was. Al kinda understands but Jas…well, you know how women can be." He suddenly gave Riku a hard look. "You aren't planning on turning back to the dark side, are you?"

Riku shook his head, still not meeting the other's eyes.

"Alright then," Genie floated at he crossed his legs. "So why are you here and what's up with Sora? Did he ever find you?"

"Yeah, we found each other," answered Riku.

Leon took over the conversation. "We're looking for a man who was supposedly here a few days ago."

Genie abruptly shot up, pointing at Leon. "You're one of Irvine's friends!"

"Yeah," Leon's expression did not change but he felt an odd relief in his chest. They now had real confirmation that the man they were tracking was indeed Irvine. "Where did he go?"

"Oh, man, talk about a day late and a dollar short," laughed Genie, twisting around. "You missed him by two days."

The ex-SeeD sighed faintly. Of course, they would have just missed him.

"Yeah, nice guy; kind of a flirt," Genie continued. "It was nice having someone new to tell about my travels to. No one's supposed to know about there being other worlds so I get excited when I find people who do. He seemed really interested, too. Al puts up with my rambling but I know he gets bored and-"

"Do you know where he went?" Leon quietly interrupted, rubbing his index finger along his scar.

Thankfully, Genie did not seem at all put out about this. "Oh, I took him to The Enchanted Wood after he expressed interest in it."

Riku lifted his head and frowned minutely. "Why did he want to go there?"

"I was talking about my trip there and some of the people I came across," explained the large blue man, again adopting that casual storytelling stance. "When I mentioned a witch, he got really interested and asked more about her. I told him what I could and next thing I knew, he wanted me to take him there."

Leon flicked his eyes toward Riku only to find that the teen was already glancing toward him. It was obvious that Riku had his own ideas about the potential identity of this witch but Leon doubted it was the same as his. It was highly unlikely that Irvine knew enough about Maleficent to decide to track her.

Turning back to Genie, Leon asked, "What did this witch look like?"

"Well, I didn't actually see her but everyone was talking about her," Genie tapped his chin. "They said she was tall and very exotic looking, barely human. She also had, like horns or something."

Leon took a breath and closed his eyes. He really hoped that his suspicions where wrong but a heavy feeling in his gut told him otherwise. While the description could fit Maleficent, there was another witch, or rather sorceress, who was a much more likely candidate to catch Irvine's curiosity.

If she had returned…

"Leon?" Riku called over, concern etched on his face.

Leon felt another odd pang at the tone of the teen's voice. He did not want Riku to worry about him, especially when the youth was already troubled. He decided the best thing he could do was move on. "Do you remember where you left Irvine?"

"Yeah, there's a section of forest with these creepy-looking trees." Genie shuddered. "I don't know why he wanted to be left there but that's where he wanted to be."

Leon did not need to look at Riku to know what he was thinking. It was obvious where they were off to next. The sable-haired man nodded to Genie. "Thank you."

"No prob, man!" Genie spun up, floating toward the large window. "Good luck finding your friend. Oh, and tell Sora I said hellllooooo!"

He flew off, leaving Leon and Riku alone in silence.

Watching Riku from the corner of his eye, Leon noticed that the younger male's tension and unease had not abated at all. In fact, he looked worse than before. It was definitely time to leave this world. "Let's get out of here."

"Leon," Riku spoke softly. "The witch's description was familiar to you, wasn't it?"

Leon let out a breath and crossed his arms before him. He studied the floor in front of him as he explained, "There was a sorceress named Ultimecia back on our world. It's complicated, but her goal was to compress all time to a single moment, which would destroy all life but her own."

Riku's uplifted eyebrow could barely be seen. "Why would she want to do that?"

"I don't know," Leon shook his head. "Maybe she figured she could then rebuild the world in her own image or something. Regardless, we stopped her and she fell into a time warp...Edea said she died in the past, where she turned up."

The silvered male nodded slowly, worrying his lower lip. "With all the new Heartless activity, I'm almost certain that Maleficent is back. I wonder if Irvine heard the description and, like you, immediately thought of this Ultimecia and decided to investigate."

"Either way, we need to find him and then figure out what's going on," Leon dropped his arms.

"Yeah," agreed Riku, turning toward Carpet. "Thank you for all the help."

Carpet flew over to him and it looked like he was angling his head curiously. Riku smiled a bit and patted the top fold. "I think it's better if we walk back to the ship."

The animated rug seemed to nod and flew a close circuit around first Riku and then Leon. He then settled on the sandy floor and went completely still. No one would ever have guessed he was anything more than a floor covering.

Riku headed for the doorway and the stairs that lead out of the room. He paused when Leon did not immediately follow. He glanced over his shoulder, long bangs just brushing the tops of his cheeks, to find the older man watching him. "Leon?"

Leon snapped himself out of the peculiar moment. He made the few steps forward, and for some reason avoided looking directly at Riku. "You know, Carpet would have gotten us out of here faster."

"Yes," agreed the teen, continuing to the first step down. "But you look like you need to walk."

Leon stopped. Leon often went for long walks when he needed time to settle his thoughts, that was no secret…and now, Riku was risking more time and more possibilities of being caught on a world he was not welcome on, to allow Leon that peace of mind. "You don't have to do that."

"I know," the trace of a smile nearly erased the apprehension in Riku's barely seen eyes. "If it makes you feel better, think of it as preparing for another long, boring ride in the cramped Gummi."

Leon snorted a laugh. "I guess I can't argue with that."

The smile increased a bit and Leon found himself letting his own grin appear. A comfortable peace settled over them and they ended up walking side-by-side down the narrow staircase. On the street, they remained like that all the way back to the ship.


	6. Old Friends Old Enemies

Yes, I know it's been FOREVER. Everything has been taking longer and my laptop's been f-ed up... I'm sorry. Anyway, I love the end of this one, I really do. Hopefully, it won't be as long for the next chapter.

Review? It helps these go faster.

* * *

Chapter Six: Old Friends: Old Enemies

The flight to The Enchanted Wood was quiet, for the most part. There was nothing awkward or uneasy to it, they simply did not feel any pressure to talk. They again had to engage in a space battle with a swarm of Heartless, this one a good deal larger than the last, but Riku handled it with the same calmness he had the first.

The teen half-turned in his seat after the gate was open. He gave Leon a mild smile and stood up, flexing his fingers. "That one was harder."

Leon angled his head slightly as he sent the ship through the little bit of battle debris and pass the gateway. It had not appeared that Riku had any more difficulty with this one than he had with the last, but appearances could be deceiving. "You did just as well as the first."

"I'm certain that they will keep getting harder as we get closer to our goals," Riku twisted his neck; "Especially if what we think is true."

Leon nodded, keeping his eyes on the controls. Once he knew that they were again on a clear path, he placed his attention on Riku. There had been something nagging at him since leaving Agrabah and it had finally worked its way through his mind. "I can't help but wonder why Maleficent would choose now to make her return. We've known she was alive for months."

"I've been thinking about that also," seconded Riku, his arms at his sides as he looked off to the side. "The last time anyone had seen or heard of her was when she and Pete repelled the Heartless so that we could go after Xemnas in The World That Never Was. I have no idea what prompted her to start causing trouble again."

"Maybe she finally managed to get full control of the Darkness and Heartless again," suggested Leon, leaning in his seat and folding his arms. "You said that with making her new headquarters there, she was going to have to rework her whole approach with the Heartless and find new ways to manipulate them."

"Yeah;" Riku was obviously doubtful but he did not continue to muse over the subject. At this point, they did not even know if it was Maleficent that Irvine, and therefore they themselves, were following. Besides, they were only supposed to be out here locating Leon's friends..."How much longer to our destination?"

"...About a half-hour."

"Okay," Riku moved toward the doorway. "We should probably eat something before setting down. I learned a long time ago to eat when you can."

The corner of Leon's mouth curled up. "That's one of the first things they taught us in Garden."

"It's a good rule of thumb," the younger male commented, sliding the door open. "Do you want me to bring you one of the lunch packs Aerith packed?"

"Sure."

--0—0—

The Enchanted Woods was just that, a world that consisted almost completely of forest. There were a few scattered meadows and a clearing with a large castle, but those were the only things breaking up the expanse of treetops that stretched nearly endlessly. The sight was peaceful, and yet, rather ominous somehow.

"Genie said that he left Irvine near a patch of creepy-looking trees," Riku looked over the small visual display. "I assume that it's probably an area of dead or sick trees."

Leon pointed to a section of forest where the leaf-cover was thinner than the surrounding area. "That looks like a likely spot."

Riku agreed and Leon set the Gummi to land in a relatively clear space near the location. Once the ship settled, the pair exited, walking into a section of forest that was sparsely populated with various sized trees. Bans of sunlight managed to break through the canopy around them, casting them in soft swatches of brightness.

The sable-haired man turned his head to suggest a direction and paused. One of the bans of light fell upon Riku's lower face, illuminating pale skin and causing silver hair to shimmer. Something about it completely caught his attention and it took him a moment to shake it.

"The clearing we saw is in that direction," he pointed west, "Probably about a half-mile. I suggest we head there first, and then start moving in the direction of the castle since that's the logical place he would have gone."

"Right," the teen agreed. "Because everyone knows witches have a thing for castles."

Leon laughed lightly as they began walking, "The more foreboding the better."

"…And stone gargoyles are a plus." Falling into place somewhat beside the ex-mercenary because the foliage made it nearly impossible to walk together, Riku shook his head. "You know, you really have to wonder sometimes how these people get as far as they do, being as cliché as they can be."

"It's one of the main reasons that they ultimately fail." Leon shrugged. "In the end, it works to our advantage so long as we remember there are exceptions."

"There always are."

They grew quiet, continuing to pick their way between grown trees and saplings, shrubs and fallen trunks. It was not long before their surrounding grew darker and a rather heavy feel began permeating the air. Green, healthy leaves grew into brown, withered ones before eventually disappearing completely into barren branches.

As they progressed further into the dead trees, Riku flicked his aqua eyes about. In a nearly inaudible tone, he murmured, "We're not alone."

Leon looked at him from the corner of his eye and softly replied, "What do you mean?"

"He means that you're not alone," a scratchy, hollow voice clarified. As the pair turned toward it, faces appeared on all the trunks surrounding them. Not one of them appeared friendly. The one that had spoken looked annoyed. "Why have so many humans been coming through here lately?"

Well, at least they knew they were on the right path. Leon fixed his attention on the talking tree and spoke firmly. "Who else has been through here?"

"There was a tall man two days ago," the tree replied, still scowling in a way that it should not be capable of; "Before that, there was an odd looking woman and before her a girl and some bearded man… So annoying but at least those new creatures leave us alone."

Riku glanced at Leon. They were again thinking the exact same thing. Obviously, Irvine was on the tail of someone and while that person was still unknown, the pair would likely soon find out. They also both had a good idea what the creatures the tree referred to were.

"Which way did they go?" Riku asked in a much less demanding tone.

"The woman and man went that way." A long branch pointed southwest, the direction of the castle. "The girl went north."

"Thank you," the younger of the two humans nodded. "We'll leave you."

"Good, you humans spell nothing but bad news."

Leon and Riku headed to the southeast, again keeping quiet until they were a good distance away. Once they were likely out of earshot, Leon made a sound that fell short of being a chuckle. "Things just keep getting weirder, don't they?"

"Yep," Silver hair caught in a weak ban of light as Riku nodded in response. His voice was completely casual. "And they probably will continue to get weirder."

Before Leon could reply, Riku stiffened and summoned Way to the Dawn.

Five Soldier Heartless dropped from the treetops barely a second later. Leon took a step back to keep one from landing on his head and kicked it away before bringing Revolver to bear and shooting it in the head. He turned to face the one rushing him and dealt with it just as easily. By the time he was finished, Riku had already dispatched the other three.

They looked at one another, each silently confirming that the other was all right. Riku did not banish his Keyblade, which told Leon that there were still more Heartless out there. Deciding that it was best to keep moving, he motioned for them to continue by tilting his head ahead. The teen simply began walking.

The forest began thinning again after an hour passed. The underbrush disappeared and, after another hundred yards, the woods broke away into a narrow expanse of meadow. A tall, stone-walled castle rose up majestically before them, somehow intimidating despite the apparent simplicity of the construction.

"Why is it that no castle ever looks welcoming?" Riku murmured, changing his grip on his weapon. When he flicked his eyes over, Leon was doing the same. The open field before them was a perfect place for-

Another group of Heartless sprang up, this set consisting of three Wyvern, two Blue Rhapsodies and three more Soldiers. Riku sighed and raised Way to the Dawn. "I've got the Wyvern."

"I'll take the Blues." Leon leapt forward. They could handle the Soldiers as necessary. He focused on the Heartless closest to him, which was slightly to his left. Knowing that Riku was more than capable of handling himself, he kept his attention on the enemy, only glancing over once to check on the youth's status.

As he tore into the nearest Wyvern, Riku noted a Soldier coming on up his right. He managed to catch it on the follow through of his sweep, nicking it and stopping its approach. He then switched positions to finish off the immediate threat.

This group was more coordinated than the other one had been, attacking in pairs and evading several hits. Leon and Riku had to pay close attention to their adversaries' movements and listen for any sign that the other was struggling. As they fought, nothing was out of the ordinary.

Riku was on his last Wyvern when the last Soldier attempted to jump his back. Upon hearing Leon's warning, he used the momentum of his strike on the foe in front of him and spun away. The Soldier landed beside him and had to re-orientate itself. Unfortunately, this also put Riku in the direct path of the last Blue Rhapsody.

The Heartless launched a freeze spell at Leon and moved to confront its new target. Leon dodged the spell and turned to stop the Heartless from going after Riku. Before Leon could do anything, however, a loud gunshot cut through the air, echoing across the open space from the castle.

Riku looked up at the sound but Leon somehow knew who had fired it. He finished off the last Wyvern before following Riku's gaze. The shot had come from a narrow window of what would be the north tower.

Leon felt a smile tug at his lips as his eyes settled upon one of his oldest friends. Irvine leaned casually against the sill, rifle lying across his upper leg and grinned down at them. The sable-haired man could not believe how good he felt upon seeing the man.

Knowing that shouting to one another was not an option, at least not a smart one, Leon motioned with his head toward the castle's front. Irvine tilted his hat at them and disappeared inside. Leon found himself staring at the empty window for a moment after.

He had really found Irvine. He did not have adequate words for the mix of emotions tumbling around inside him. Disbelief, joy, apprehension, excitement…they all fought for attention. Not knowing how to handle all of this, he forced them down, letting them simply stir below the surface.

"He looks really happy to see you," Riku noted quietly.

"I'm glad to see him," Leon replied with surprising ease. He glanced at the teen; "I'm also a little scared."

Leon's honesty confused him. He did not confide in people, nor did he talk about his emotions or make others privy to his thoughts. However, with Riku, not only did he find himself doing this, but it also felt completely natural to do so. He assumed it was because the youth was quiet and non-obtrusive. Riku never forced him to talk and never started pressing for more information; he just listened.

"That's not surprising," the silvered male smiled minutely. "It's been a long time, and you've changed. I had the same issue with Sora and we weren't separated for nearly as long."

Leon turned toward the castle again. He frowned to himself as he studied the grey stones. "Somehow, I doubt he's changed as much as I have."

With a soft chuckle, Riku stepped closer and lightly pushed at Leon's shoulder. "Well, as Sora likes to remind me, there's only one way to find out."

--0—0—

They rounded the turret and discovered that they were at the back of the castle. Trusting that Irvine knew his way around, they entered a small, partially enclosed courtyard. A high wall created an _L_ around it and there were a few flowerbeds along the bottom.

There was a covered well in the middle of the _L, _and Riku approached it almost immediately upon entering the space. He leaned over the side of it, pressing his hands upon the short stone wall and gazing down into it. He was careful to keep the rope hung wood bucket from hitting his head as he did.

"That's supposedly a wishing well," a new voice joined them from the opposite end of the courtyard. Leon looked away from Riku as the teen glanced up to watch Irvine stroll over from what appeared to be an ordinary wall, which must have concealed a hidden door. "The former King had a thing for them so he had seven built all over the property."

He stopped beside the well, attention fixed upon Leon as he grinned widely. "Howdy, Squall."

Leon had an unusual urge to hug the taller man. Instead, he leaned his weight to the side and simply asked; "What are you doing out here?"

Irvine snorted. "Still not one for small talk, huh? Haven't seen one another for a coupla years and you jump right into business."

Leon shrugged lightly.

With a chuckle, Irvine glanced toward Riku. He ran an appraising eye over the teen for a moment before nodding his head at him. "You're a pretty good fighter, kid."

Riku angled his head and made a dismissive noise. "I have a lot of room for improvement. Thanks for helping me out earlier."

"Hey, we've all got that," stated the tall SeeD easily. "Thankfully, Squall's always been good for that. You stick with him for awhile and you'll learn that real quick."

The silvered youth flicked his eyes at Leon, and quickly adverted them when he saw that the sable-haired man was looking directly back. He returned his attention to the fountain and placed a neutral expression upon his face. Leon frowned a bit at the teen's behavior but did not take the time to analyze it. He turned back to Irvine and lifted an eyebrow, silently prompting the sharpshooter to start explaining what was going on.

With a rather theatrical sigh, Irvine adjusted his hat. "Fine, fine; I see how it is…And here I thought you'd want to catch up. I guess without Rinoa to prod at you-"

He cut himself off at the abrupt change to Leon's expression. He understood exactly what it meant and looked down in a gesture of sorrow. "She didn't make it."

Leon waited a beat before quietly explaining. "The only person I've found is Zell and that was only a few days ago. He pointed us after you."

Nodding once, Irvine breathed out and folded his arms. "Quistis is supposedly on a world called the Land of Dreams. I was fixin' to find a way there next."

"We can find her there," Leon stated with certainty. Inwardly, he was close to ecstatic. If he and Riku found Quistis, that would three of his friends located. It was more than he could ever have hoped for…

He flicked his eyes over to Riku and the youth glanced back. There was a pause before he gave the older man a minute nod and small smile. Leon found himself smiling right back. He then caught Irvine looking between them curiously and went straight back to business.

He returned his attention to Irvine. "Genie told us you were on the trail of a witch."

"Yeah," confirmed the sharpshooter. His expression tightened and his voice grew serious. "Ultimecia is back somehow."

Leon thought his heart literally stopped beating for a moment. The sorceress was supposed to be dead. Though he had long ago realized that dying only slowed some people down, that Sephiroth person of Cloud's being a prime example, he had genuinely never considered the possibility that Ultimecia could return.

As if knowing what Leon was thinking, Irvine rubbed once at his chin. "I don't know how the hell she's alive, but it was definitely her I saw yesterday. She was walking around with two other women; all of them gave me a really bad feeling, especially the tall, ugly one."

"What did she look like?" Riku asked, sounding as if he already knew who the man was about to describe. Leon was fairly certain that he did.

"Well, she certainly didn't look like anyone I've ever seen before. She was tall and thin with pale green skin. She was wearing black robes with purple lining, and I couldn't tell if the horns were real of just some weird head-covering."

Leon closed his eyes and took a long breath. That confirmed that they were dealing with Maleficent. The very idea of those two sorceresses working together was chilling. Maleficent was bad enough on her own; ally her with one of the most powerful sorceresses ever to live and the worlds had a serious problem.

"Do you know where she went?" Riku continued questioning Irvine, his voice tight. Leon took in his expression and felt an uncommon urge to comfort the teen somehow.

"Both Ultimecia and the ugly one left this morning. The third woman, the queen or whomever, headed into the woods yesterday. I guess she's made several trips out there, something about a girl… I don't know, but it had nothing to do with what the other two were doing."

"Any idea where they went?" asked Riku as Leon moved a few steps toward him.

"I can't really say." Irvine eyed Leon's movement with detached interest. "I overheard something about a fortress that Maleficent no longer needed and Ultimecia seemed rather interested in it. I got the feeling that they were gonna split up and meet again later."

Riku frowned at that, obviously trying to decipher what that overhead statement meant. Leon was only a couple of feet away from him now, close enough to reach out and touch him. He stopped there and folded his arms, "Any ideas, Riku?"

The teen shook his head. "At the moment, no; she told me a few things about herself, but I honestly didn't care and wasn't paying attention."

"...Riku, huh?" Irvine noted. "I was wonderin' when I was gonna get your name. Squall isn't too good with introductions."

Riku shot Leon an amused look. "Zell said the same thing."

"You could always introduce yourself," Leon observed, giving the younger male an equally mild expression.

"That's not the point, Leon."

The pair studied each other for a second longer before Riku glanced away. He placed his attention on Irvine and asked, "You said Quistis was supposed to be in The Land of Dreams?"

"Yeah, that's the rumor I heard. It sounded like she heard about Ultimecia being around, too." Irvine was looking at Leon curiously. "Leon? What is that, a nickname?"

"Something like that," replied the other former SeeD neutrally, deciding that now was not the time to go into any details on the subject. "I'm going to call for Cid and Zell to come get you."

Irvine frowned. "What? I don't get to tag along to find Quistis?"

"You've been wandering for a long time," Leon spoke simply, removing his phone from his jacket pocket. "As I told Zell before we left, you need a good long rest."

"Uh huh," Irvine flicked his eyes between his friend and the young man he was travelling with. He smirked in a knowing manner. "I get it. You just don't want a third member to your little party."

Leon paused and gave Irvine a confused look. Irvine merely winked back and walked over to talk to Riku. To Leon's slight surprise, the silvered Keybearer seemed rather embarrassed by Irvine's statement. Having no idea what to make of any of that, Leon simply made his call.

--0—0—

After a few more odd comments and some further detailing as to what Irvine had learned about Ultimecia and Maleficent's intentions, the sharpshooter agreed to wait at the castle for Cid and Zell to arrive. Riku was positive that there were no more Heartless in the immediate area that would pose a threat to him, and Irvine said he would just hang around the castle courtyard. He then gave Leon and Riku considering looks before shooing them off.

The pair left, following a different path through the woods back to the Gummi. Leon did not want to leave Irvine to wait alone, but they needed to find Quistis while the trail was still hot. He also had to figure out what to do about Ultimecia now. There was no way he could let her run amuck, especially if she had allied herself with Maleficent.

"Leon?"

Steel-colored eyes shifted toward Riku. He lifted an eyebrow in query, inviting the youth to continue. He noticed that Riku had his head up, facing forward but his bangs completely obscured his eyes.

Riku's voice was soft but certain. "We have to go after Maleficent and Ultimecia."

"I know." Leon sighed. He really did not want to have to go against either sorceress but there was no other choice. "I'm hoping Irvine is right about Quistis also being on their trail."

Something about Riku's silence disturbed Leon. Unconsciously, he took a step closer and touched the teen's shoulder. He did not say anything but Riku appeared to relax a little at the gesture.

A sudden cry of panic sounded from their right, and the two males glanced at each other before automatically readying their weapons and rushing toward the sound. Approximately fifteen yards away, they came upon a small clearing. Within it was a black-haired man standing beside a white horse, both looked terrified somehow. The man held a simple sword before him but it was obvious that he had completely forgotten how to use it.

They were surrounded by ten Heartless.

Riku actually smirked at Leon, and the scarred man returned it briefly before they split off to rescue the horseman. The Heartless were all of the basic variety and they were able to make short work of them. For most, it only required one strike.

As the last one disappeared in a waft of black smoke, the hapless man breathed a loud sigh of relief. "What were those things?"

He shook his head immediately after asking. "Never mind, I don't want to know." Straightening himself out, he stood up regally and declined his head toward them, lifting a hand to tip his cap at them. "I thank you for the assistance, brave sirs."

"Yeah," Riku replied slowly.

"Whatever." Leon stated.

The man turned toward his horse and petted its neck. As he did he spoke casually, "I suppose a reward is in order. And of course, you won't be telling anyone about this."

"We won't?" Riku's brow furrowed.

The man nodded slightly, removing a small pouch from his inner vest pocket. He tossed it at Leon, whom easily caught it, and then looked between his rescuers. He frowned slightly at the expressions he was receiving. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

Both Leon and Riku shook their heads no. Their stances and facial features also clearly indicated that they did not truly care. The man's identity was obviously irrelevant to them.

"Oh, well then," the man floundered, put off that he was a complete stranger to them. Apparently, he was unused to such a reaction, "All the better then."

He climbed up on his horse and waved grandly. "Well, thank you again. Now, I shall be off."

Glancing around uncertainly, he muttered to himself, "Unfortunately I have no idea where to."

Leon flicked his eyes toward Riku and smiled as the silver-haired teen tried not to laugh. Obviously, he also thought this man was an idiot. He returned his attention to the man and, feeling oddly curious, asked; "Are you looking for someone?"

"Uh, well," the man rubbed the back of his neck. "This will sound odd, but you haven't seen a young woman with pale skin, black hair, and bright red lips out here, have you?"

"...Can't say that we have."

"Wait," Riku interjected. "Those trees said there had been a girl through there a few days ago."

The mounted man looked at the Keybearer excitedly, "Where?"

"To the north."

The man smiled brilliantly. "Thank you, young sir! Thank you!"

He seized his horse's reins and took off at a gallop. Leon and Riku watched him disappear into the trees and foliage. When only the echo of the horse's hooves could be heard, they turned back to one other. Leon frowned thoughtfully. "Didn't Irvine say that Queen person had gone north?"

Riku shrugged. "That isn't our problem. We don't meddle in the worlds we visit's affairs."

Making a light noise, Leon fell into place beside Riku and they resumed their walk back to the Gummi. While Riku was still rather terse, it was not nearly as bad as before the minor delay. Leon wanted to say or do something to help the young man, but he had no idea what. He was also unnerved about what they were potentially going to be facing.

Abruptly, Riku laughed. Leon looked to him curiously and aqua eyes met his in amusement. "That guy was an idiot."

Chuckling, Leon nodded as the continued to walk. "Yeah, he was."

--0—0—


	7. The Princess and the SeeD

Yes, I know.

I hope this works for you all because I've only seen bits and pieces of VIII and next to nothing with Quistis so I did my best with what I knew. My co-author thought it was good so I'm going with that.

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Princess and the SeeD

Their moods were still light as they prepared the Gummi for flight. After programming the Navi-Gummi with the next location, Leon lifted off and they were in space within minutes. It was only going to be three hours to The Land of Dreams, a very short trip in comparison to the jumps they had made so far.

"Do you think that guy ever found that girl?" asked Riku quietly with humor in his voice.

"Probably," Leon snorted. "He'll show up, sweep her off her feet and ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after."

Riku grinned. "Until there's a spider on the wall and he freaks out and she had to kill it with her shoe."

The older man chuckled and turned to face the teenager. "The sad thing is I can see that happening."

"Oh, yeah."

"Ellone used to say that just because a guy's a prince doesn't mean he knows how to take care of himself," Leon commented in an easy manner.

Riku angled his head slightly. His expression was cautiously curious. "Who's Ellone?"

There was a brief silence before Leon slightly averted his eyes. It was strange…since Zell had reappeared, it had become increasingly easy to talk about his life before the Heartless came to his world. Not only that, he found it simply felt natural to talk to Riku. He was not sure why any of that was.

"Ellone was…well, she was a strange girl, but back at the orphanage she acted as everyone's older sister. I actually used to call her 'Sis'. She took care of us when we were younger and was my emotional support for awhile." He paused as a touch of old hurt rose up. "I remember it being really painful when she left. I never did take people leaving well."

Riku did not say anything but nodded. The way the silvered teen looked at him told Leon that he completely understood. He found he was rather happy that Riku just tended to understand him without having to give too much explanation.

"Did Quistis live at the orphanage, too?"

"She did," answered the sable-haired man in an easy manner. "She's a couple of years older and ended up one of the instructors at Garden. She did her best but the teaching thing just didn't work out for her and she eventually stepped down."

"Were the two of you close?" Riku asked, leaning back into the seat.

Leon took a moment to consider his reply. "Quistis was as close to me as anyone could be. I don't exactly make friends easily."

A silver eyebrow lifted at that, "Really?"

Leon frowned at the youth's reaction; "That surprises you?"

"A little; I mean, you made friends with me pretty easily." Riku shrugged a little. That somehow shy look entered his eyes again, "Although that might be because I don't trust easily either."

The pair fell into another one of their comfortable silences. Neither of them felt the need to busy themselves, but simply sat in mutual quiet. Leon decided that he really enjoyed the relaxed companionship he had formed with the young man.

After several minutes passed, Leon reluctantly spoke; "We need to figure out what to do about Maleficent and Ultimecia."

"Right," Riku quickly agreed. "I'm pretty sure the castle they were talking about is Maleficent's old fortress on her home world. If I remember it right, the world is the Rose Kingdom."

The sable-haired man glanced at the boy, "Any idea where it is?"

The teen shook his head. "I didn't care about any of that. Maleficent quickly gave up on teaching me anything beyond what she needed me to know. I made it clear I was only staying there to find Kairi."

The older man nodded. "We'll see what information Quistis has gathered. Hopefully, that will give us something solid to work with. With a little luck, we can put an end to this before the worlds are facing another catastrophe."

"Yeah," Riku glanced at the status display. "The gate should be coming up soon."

Leon turned back toward the controls, noting that two hours had in fact gone by. It was interesting how quickly the time passed with Riku. They did not have to be conversing or doing at anything of significance for it to happen. He simply felt…comfortable with the younger male.

Riku leaned forward and took a quick breath. As the proximity alarm chimed, he also turned to the control panel. Taking hold of the weapon's joystick, he softly commented, "This is such a pain."

"At least you only have to do it once."

"Yeah; too bad Sora didn't go to more of these worlds first." Riku's expression took on that relaxed appearance.

Leon did not respond as the boy began firing their weapons at the small swarm of Heartless displayed on the screen. There were significantly less this time and Leon was not sure whether to take that as a good sign or not. It could mean either there was little interest in this world or the barrier was weak enough that they could simply slip through it.

Riku quickly eliminated the gathered fiends and opened the gate. Once finished, he rolled his shoulders a little. "You wouldn't think that that would tense my neck like it does."

Leon glanced at him for only a moment before reaching one of his hands over rather automatically. He gently wrapped his fingers around the young man's slender neck and pressed a little. Riku's neck muscles were rather tight and he slowly began massaging them, feeling the tension give almost immediately.

Riku stiffened in reaction to the touch for only a second before relaxing. He let his head fall slightly forward and made a faint noise as he took a drawn-out breath. Leon worked at the base of his neck a bit, and he relaxed even further.

After a few minutes, Leon withdrew his hand but Riku remained still for a beat longer. When he lifted his head, he just barely turned it toward Leon. His gaze locked on the older man and Leon found himself returning the look. There was a different feel to the air, and both were uncertain about how to describe it.

Leon ended the moment, averting his eyes back to the ship controls. They were just outside the world's atmosphere and he busied himself with preparing to land. He forced his mind to focus on what they would do once they were planet-side instead of what had just occurred. "Since Quistis will be looking for information, she'll likely have gone to the most populated area."

Riku pointed to the map. "It looks like that would be here. The town seems to stretch out to the east of the castle as opposed to wrapping around it like they normally would."

"We'll set down north of the fence and walk around to the main gate. Any guards posted there should be able to tell us something." He flicked his eyes at Riku, who nodded absently. There was something distant to his expression. "...Riku?"

The young man seemed to bring himself back. "That sounds good. It will give us a chance to learn what kind of Heartless activity is going on. Unlocking the gate felt too easy."

"I had the same thought. There were a lot fewer Heartless than any of the other worlds." The ship began its final descent. "There are only two reasons for that."

"With our luck…"

Leon made a light snort. Finding a secluded spot where the wall surrounding the small city had an invert, he set the ship down. He put the vessel into stand-by and stood after a brief pause. "Let's get going."

--0—0—

They walked toward the main gate, which was some five hundred yards away, in companionable silence. There were a few others walking toward the same destination from various directions. Many of them had carts and bags of belongings with them and appeared to be relocating into the city from smaller villages and towns. This was enough to indicate that there was likely a significant Heartless infestation.

A scream cut through the air and the handful of people gathered near the gate quickly scattered. As the crowd thinned out, the reason for the commotion became clear. Four guards ran out of the checkpoint to attack the two dozen Heartless that had appeared.

Leon and Riku did not bother to look at each other as they pulled out their weapons. In unspoken accord, Leon took left and Riku took right, joining the guards in the melee. The local forces were clearly experienced and the six of them made short work of the Heartless.

When they were down to six, there was another scream. Leon looked over to see a single Defender swinging its shield at a mother and her small child. Before it reached them, a Dark Shield materialized and the weapon bounced off it.

Glancing back at Riku, Leon just caught what looked like a grimace of pain on the boy's face. It disappeared completely as Riku whirled his Keyblade around to take out the small Heartless next to him. Once that was completed, the silvered male shouted to the guards, "Take care of the rest; we'll handle the big one!"

Leon was already moving to intercept the Defender before the younger male finished calling out the order. He felt charged up and immediately launched Consecutive Blade. By the time it was done, Riku had joined him and started a long chain attack, not allowing the Heartless to get in a hit. The teen backed away after, hurtling a Dark Aura at it.

Leon rushed back in and made several strikes. He lost sight of Riku momentarily, but did not let up his attack. Remaining focused on his target, the sable-haired man diverted a sliver of attention to locating the youth. He should have noticed if Riku was injured…

The edge of the Heartless' shield grazed Leon's shoulder and he cursed as he pushed back the pain. Refocusing on the Defender, he launched another series of attacks. While doing so, he felt the wound to his shoulder heal, and a bit of his energy strengthened as well. He leapt up, determined to finish the fight and as he made the final blow, he caught sight of Riku watching him from a slight distance away.

There was something off about his expression but Leon did not take the time to consider it. The Defender dematerialized and the former SeeD's feet hit the ground in a well-practiced landing. Taking a moment to recover, he straightened from his crouch and turned toward Riku and the guard that stood beside him.

The uniformed man repositioned himself so that he could address both Leon and Riku. "Thank you for the assistance! We haven't had too many of the large ones but when we do, it gets a little hairy."

"How much Heartless activity has there been?" Leon asked, walking over to join the other two. The other guards were quickly rounding up the civilians that had scattered and ushering them inside the gate.

"It's been slowly increasing over the past month," The man explained. "Most of it has been scattered around the smaller villages and we've been evacuating them into the city. As I said before, it's been mostly small ones. There have only been five of the bigger ones that I'm aware of."

Leon glanced at Riku, taking in the boy's thoughtful expression. "What do you think?"

"It sounds to me like you guys have the situation under control," Riku stated slowly. "They haven't shown up in the city?"

"No, the gate is the closest they get."

The teenager nodded. "Is there any way we can speak to the princess?"

The guard looked at Riku and Leon warily. Even though he was grateful for the help the pair had given, they were still strangers. It was obvious he was reluctant to bring them to their royals.

"We only want to talk to her," Leon assured him. "You can detail as many people as you want to us as we do so."

The man appeared to be convinced of their intentions at the statement. He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. "Luc," he called.

Another guard came over and saluted; "Sir."

"Take these two to the castle to see the Princess."

--0—0—

Luc escorted them along the main road of the city and through the castle. It seemed the guards knew exactly where their princess was at any time of the day because they were immediately taken to a large courtyard on the rear East side of the castle. Upon emerging back into the sunlight, Luc motioned for them to wait at the archway as he stepped forward.

When he went head to locate the world's princess, Leon glanced at Riku, a hint of worry in his voice. "Is this going to be another one of the Princesses of Heart?"

"Yeah," he confirmed quietly, "But I'm not too worried about how she'll receive me. Cinderella was one of the gentler ones…I had a hard time bringing myself to kidnap her."

Leon placed a hand on the teen's shoulder and briefly squeezed it. "If she says anything to you, we're leaving."

"No, it's okay," Riku assured him. "I doubt it would be anything I haven't already said to myself and I don't think she'll have me arrested or anything like that. The worse she'll do is banish me from her world."

Luc returned before Leon could reply to that. Two women, one with pale blonde hair in an expensive-looking blue dress who was obviously the princess, followed him. The other was also blonde, and was wearing an orange zip-up shirt with a long skirt over pants, and high black boots.

As soon as Leon saw the second woman, he felt himself smiling. She immediately returned the smile upon seeing him. She broke away from Cinderella and took several hurried steps over to them, looking as though she was going to wrap Leon in a tight embrace.

Upon reaching him, however, she simply folded her arms and angled her head. "Hello, Squall."

"It's good to see you," Leon returned with absolute sincerity.

Quistis gave him an analytical look. After a moment, she smiled again. "You look well. For a moment, I was worried you had reverted to your loner ways."

Leon did not have a reply for that.

Cinderella had joined the small group by now, and she nodded to Riku. "Hello, Riku."

"Hello, Your Highness." The teen inclined his head slightly. His words were soft and uncertain.

Leon subtly shifted his weight toward the silvered youth. He glanced at Riku briefly, but knew that it went unseen. The young man was tense and prepared to be arrested or verbally assaulted. Leon found himself reacting to Riku's state, ready to do whatever was necessary to protect him.

He saw Quistis eyeing the teen with that analytical glint coming to her eyes. She then turned her attention on him, and her expression slowly changed into one of slight disbelief. Soon after, that look fell into a somehow knowing little smirk.

"I believe that the two of you should take some time to reconnect;" Cinderella addressed Leon and Quistis. She then fixed her attention on Riku. "Would you mind taking a walk with me, Riku?"

This did not sound like a good idea to Leon, and he was thinking of a reason for Riku to stay with him when Riku nodded slowly. The teen lifted his head, long bangs still covering the majority of his eyes. Between the silver strands, aqua eyes flicked toward him and Leon got the distinct impression that Riku wanted to go with her.

The eye contact broke immediately and Riku looked to the princess. "Sure."

Cinderella smiled gently and nodded to both Leon and Quistis. "We will return shortly."

Riku shot Leon a brief look as he stepped toward the woman. He fell into place beside her and they headed back the way Cinderella and Quistis had been standing. Instead of going the direction they had come from, the pair turned as if the princess was merely continuing her circuit around the gardens.

As soon as they were out of sight, Quistis laughed lightly. "Wow, Squall."

Leon narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"

"I haven't seen you this smitten since Rinoa."

The Gunblade specialist stared at her. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, please," Quistis all but rolled her eyes. "Don't tell be you've reverted back to your old self so much that you don't see it."

Leon turned his face back in the direction that Riku had disappeared. Quistis was being ridiculous; he knew he did not have feelings for Riku. She had not been with him for five minutes and she was already… Of course, the blonde SeeD had always known him better than anyone; could see the things he did not want to.

…And once again, she was right. What had started as simple fondness for the boy had become something significantly more. Over the course of the previous few days, he had become strongly attached to Riku. He felt this driving need to comfort the teen when he was upset, and to protect him despite knowing that he was perfectly capable of doing that for himself.

He enjoyed spending time with Riku; the easy feeling between them was something he had not felt with anyone else. They had an unspoken understanding of one another, removing any pressure to speak or make any action to confirm comprehension. He simply got Riku and the teen did the same with him.

He heard Quistis chuckle, breaking him from his not-so-startling revelation. He again looked toward her but this time did not ask any questions. She was clearly amused by the situation, and he was not going to let her force him into a discussion over it.

"We located Zell and Irvine." Leon folded his arms. "Irvine is of the belief that you're tracking Ultimecia."

"I was." The female fighter shook her head. "She and another witch named Maleficent came here and had a meeting with the Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's stepmother. The only reason we can think of for that meeting was to gain access to Tremaine's fortune, since she has nothing else that would be of use to them."

"Are they still here?"

"No." Quistis shook her head. "Jac and Gus saw them leave through separate portals but they have no idea where either went."

Leon frowned. "Separate?"

"Yeah, the only clue we have is Maleficent saying something about watching out for thorns."

_Thorns_…? That was a peculiar warning to give. Leon had no idea what to make of that no matter how he tried to interrupt it. He hoped that Riku would have some idea of what the witch meant.

His eyes flicked toward the path out of the courtyard. Riku and Cinderella had been gone for a while and he was becoming increasingly concerned. Cinderella had not appeared to have any ill intentions behind her request that Riku walk with her, but appearances could be deceiving. Once they were far enough away, she could have easily called in her guards to arrest the teen, and Riku would not have resisted.

"The kid's fine, Squall."

"…Riku."

"What?"

"His name is Riku."

Quistis smiled at him and shook her head. "You really do have it bad, don't you?"

Leon deflected the question. "That has nothing to do with my concern."

"I know who Riku is, Squall, and more importantly, I know what he did. I assure you, Cinderella holds absolutely nothing against him. In fact, I bet you my best Triple Triad card that she asked him to go with her to assure him of that herself."

Leon narrowed his eyes at her. "How do you… Never mind. I forgot who I was talking to."

"Darn right." The woman grinned. "Now, answer my question."

"………"

Quistis raised a hand to her mouth and chuckled. "You do realize that your silence along with the earlier deflection only confirms my suspicion, right?"

Exhaling loudly, Leon took a few steps toward the outer edge of the courtyard, "Whatever."

"Don't put yourself through this again, Squall."

He stopped and turned to faced her.

"Don't look at me like that." Her voice took a stern tone as she folded her arms and canted her head. "You are doing exactly what you did with Rinoa. If you ignore your feelings and focus entirely on the mission, you don't have to face them. It didn't work with Rinoa, and I know that you know it won't work this time either."

"I'm not ignoring my feelings," Leon countered, looking away from her. "I like Riku. We get along amazingly well and work well together. I care about what happens to him. That doesn't mean I'm in love with him."

"Keep telling yourself that and maybe you'll believe it." Quistis dropped her arms. "Look, just don't repeat the same mistakes. I haven't spent any time with him but I can tell he isn't like Rinoa was; he isn't going to push you about this. You're going to have to be the one who steps up so you both can be happy."

Before he could come up with a response to Quistis' speech, he heard a soft chuckle from the courtyard entrance. Turning his head, he spied Riku and Cinderella returning. While Riku still seemed a bit uncomfortable, his head was up and there was a small smile on his face. The laugh had come from him.

Leon found himself greatly relieved by the teen's return.

"I have told the cook that the two of you will be staying for dinner," Cinderella announced casually.

Even though Leon wanted to argue, he knew he would not win. While he might have been able to convince the princess that they could not stay, Quistis would never let him get away with that excuse. It would at least provide him an opportunity to flesh out the information they had gathered and come up with a plan. There was no way he could let Ultimecia continue to move about freely.

Riku met his eyes. "Over lunch we can discuss what our next move is. We're going to have to do something about Maleficent and Ultimecia."

Quistis made a light snort and glanced at Leon, murmuring, "Totally compatible."

"Fine," Leon reluctantly agreed.

Cinderella motioned them toward the doorway that Leon and Riku had come through. She then led them in the opposite direction they had come from. "Was Quistis able to provide you with any information that you can use?"

"Possibly;" Riku had fallen into step beside Leon and the sable-haired man looked to him, "Any idea why Maleficent would advise Ultimecia to watch out for thorns?"

"Maleficent's fortress was surrounded by them," the teen answered quickly. "I think it's safe to assume that's where Ultimecia went."

"I agree. According to the witnesses, they split up." Steel-colored eyes did not pull away from Riku. Leon could not help but notice that Riku was looking a bit pale and rather tired. "Are you alright?"

Riku visibly straightened his posture. "I'm fine. I just need to eat something."

Quistis cast a look over her shoulder at the two males. She frowned a little at the younger one. "You should stay the night and rest. I doubt anything is going to happen in the next few hours."

"No." Silver hair shifted as Riku shook his head. "The sooner we handle the situation, the less likely there will be unnecessary casualties or collateral damage."

While Leon normally would agree with Riku, something about the young man's appearance was troubling him. "Why don't we figure out how far away the fortress is and decide after that? If it's another short trip, we should take this opportunity to rest before any confrontation."

Riku glanced at the older man thoughtfully before looking down with a short nod; "All right."

--0—0—

Over lunch, Leon and Quistis went over all the information they had gathered. Riku listened in quietly, but there was not much to add to what they already knew. He remembered that Maleficent's home world had been called The Rose Kingdom, and Cinderella ordered one of the palace's stellar cartographers to locate it. When the old man had returned at the end of the meal, he handed Leon a new Nav-Gummi and informed him that the world was nearly ten hours away.

That was too far away for either Leon or Riku to feel comfortable about staying. Cinderella insisted on re-supplying them and had a package put together for them with food, potions and elixirs. As they waited for the items to be delivered, Quistis pulled Leon to the side.

"You're sure you don't want to stay for a few hours?"

"No, we need to get moving. We've been a step behind Ultimecia since the start of this and we can't risk her getting away again." Leon watched as Riku spoke quietly to Cinderella. "We need to end this now."

Quistis followed his gaze. "I don't suppose you want me to come with."

"Riku and I can handle it. Whenever you're ready to leave here, give Zell a call and he and a man named Cid Highwind will come for you."

The former instructor nodded slowly and a smile pulled at her lips. "It'll be good to have most of the group back together."

"Yeah," Leon agreed absently.

Worrying her lower lip, Quistis placed a hand on Leon's shoulder. "Rinoa would want you to be happy, Squall. Don't let him get away because you don't want to act."

Leon did not respond, simply continuing to observe the teenager across the room.

The pack arrived and the two pairs met up at the gate. Outside of it, a small wagon waited with Luc at the reins. Cinderella laced her fingers together before her. "Luc will take you to your ship. If you are in need of anything, please contact us and we will try to get it for you."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Leon bowed slightly.

Cinderella only smiled at him before turning and hugging her former abductor. "Don't forget what I said, Riku."

The teen carefully returned the embrace. "I won't. Thank you."

When he was released, Quistis gave him a critical look. "Don't push yourself too much, Riku; and don't let Squall overdue it either. There's nothing wrong with taking a few minutes to yourself once in a while."

Riku met her eyes and nodded. He then cast his gaze toward Leon; "You ready?"

"Let's go."


	8. Into the Rose Garden

I know, it's been a long time. Sorry for that. I don't know when the last (?) chapter will be done. I gotta do some research into a certain sorceress....

* * *

Chapter Eight: Into the Rose Garden

Leon fiddled with a loose knob he had discovered while they were lifting off. It did not actually need repairing but it gave him something to focus on other than Quistis' last words to him. Everything he had said to her had been true; he liked Riku and enjoyed being with the teenager immensely. They had developed a rapport that was strong and, in an odd way, comforting.

Now that he was really thinking about it, he started to recognize just how deep his feelings for Riku ran. Quistis had been correct; he had submerged himself completely in the mission and become blind to what was happening right in front of him. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say _within _him.

Taking a moment to cast his gaze toward Riku, he noted the terseness of the boy's expression. Riku had become rather quiet since leaving the Land of Dreams and Leon could not decipher why. He did not know what the boy had discussed with Cinderella but he had seemed at peace afterwards. This reserved attitude had not started until they were back on the Gummi ship.

He felt the need to say something, "Riku."

Aqua colored eyes shifted toward him; "Yeah?"

Now that he had the young man's attention, he was at a loss for words. Talking simply for the sake of talking was never something he engaged in and on those occasions where someone else would, he usually responded with minimal words. Everyone knew he was not very loquacious.

Silently clearing his throat, Leon said the first thing that came to him. "We should get some rest."

"I know," Riku agreed, shifting his head. His long bangs fell to cover the bit of his eyes that Leon had been able to see. "There's just…a lot working through my mind right now and it's more important that I have a clear head if we do end up confronting Ultimecia in the Rose Kingdom."

While Leon had to agree, he knew that physical rest was just as important. He had a lot on his mind too, however, and he felt it hypocritical to try pushing the youth to rest when he knew that he himself would not be doing so. Sighing to himself, he tried to come up with some way to remedy their situation. They could not go into battle like this.

"Leon?" Riku asked softly. He did not wait for the sable-haired man to answer. He turned his face toward him and smiled. "I'm happy that you have your friends back. They seem really nice."

Leon had not been expecting that declaration and took a moment to respond. When he did, a smile pulled at his lips. "I'm glad to have them back, too."

"I can tell." Silver-hair shifted and Leon had a clear view of how bright Riku's eyes were; they almost shined. "Your face has lit up brighter with each one. It makes you look so…"

Riku trailed off and cast his gaze to the side. He almost appeared embarrassed. It was a strange reaction and Leon wondered what it meant.

The teen's expression cleared and he stretched his back as he returned his gaze to the older male. "Just…don't get caught up in yourself. You've lost too much time with them already."

Leon angled his head, wondering what that was supposed to mean.

"When I first got home with Sora and Kairi, I wasted so much time fixating on what I did wrong. I really wish I hadn't, but I can't change that. I don't want you to make the same mistake."

Leon was surprised by how deeply Riku's concern struck him. The teenager had gone through a lot with his friends. He knew what it was like to have them taken away and then suddenly returned. He also understood the guilt of having wronged those friends. While Leon had not done that exactly, he had failed them and he was going to have to find a way to make up for that.

Riku chuckled lightly. "You didn't fail anyone, Leon. The sooner you realize that the better."

Steel-colored eyes narrowed.

"I could tell exactly what you were thinking by your expression." Riku flinched a bit on the last word. He slouched some and wrapped his arms around his waist. "How much longer do we have?"

"Six hours."

Nodding, Riku carefully stood. "I think I'll try lying down in the back for a few hours."

Leon nodded in response and watched Riku leave the cockpit. That conversation had seemed strange and random, at first glance anyway. After a bit of thought, however, Leon understood why Riku had said what he did. While their situations were completely different, Riku did know what it was like to be reunited with people he felt he had let down. It also appeared that he understood Leon well enough to know that he was likely to begin focusing on his perceived failure instead of just being thankful to have them back.

He was not sure how he felt about the teen understanding him that well because it was exactly where his thoughts would have gone after the situation with Ultimecia was handled. One of the main reasons he had not tried looking for his friends in the first place was his guilt for not being able to save them or their home world. That same guilt had motivated him to go on this quest after he discovered Zell was alive.

Leon fixed his eyes upon the status display but did not really see it. He knew he needed to rest as well, and did his best to let his body relax. He willed his thoughts to settle and eventually calmed his mind. Only one thought refused to leave him as he entered a restorative state…

Just what was Riku coming to mean to him…and did he mean anything to the boy?

--0—0—

The proximity alarm rang out and Leon quickly returned to full alertness. They were twenty minutes out from The Rose Kingdom and he knew he should go wake Riku but he waited. The boy could sleep until they actually landed. They could discuss their plan of action on the ground.

"Did you rest?"

Leon looked over his shoulder. Riku stood in the doorway, hair tousled and clothes slightly rumpled. The boy did not look like he had slept well if at all. "Some. What about you?"

"I'm fine." Riku took his seat and combed his hair with his fingers. "The alarm woke me up."

"We're fifteen minutes out." Leon informed him, turning back to the controls to begin the landing procedures.

"Good." Riku bit his lip and after a moment, laughed nervously. "This is going to be weird. Sora's the one always fighting the bosses head-on; I'm just the support."

"We'll be fine." Leon stated with more confidence than he felt. He had no desire to confront the sorceress again. "I've faced her before; I know what we're up against."

"She may have learned some new tricks;" Riku cautioned as the ship shuddered slightly, indicating that they had broken into the atmosphere. "She has the darkness to draw upon now."

Leon had not considered that. Riku was right; it was very likely that Ultimecia would have some new powers. She had formed an alliance with Maleficent and would likely have access to the darkness because of that.

"On the plus side," Riku continued, "You know how she thinks and will be able to predict her actions somewhat."

"I should." At least, Leon hoped he could. Having dealt with her before was definitely an advantage. Riku was correct in that, even if she does have new spells and powers, he was familiar with her tactics.

They were in clear view of the planet and, from what they could see, there were two large structures; one was a gorgeous castle with green fields and the other was a dark, spindly fortress in a barren expanse of land. Rocky spires and narrow mountain passes surrounded the fortress, while thick, black coils of thorns lined the actual perimeter.

"Well, now I get the thorn comment," Leon murmured.

"There's no good place to land nearby." Riku looked over the terrain. "I really don't want to have to walk five miles just to get there."

"No," Leon agreed. "If we come in low, hugging the cliffs, we should be relatively hidden from easy sight. It looks like there's a space about a mile from the fortress that would work."

"Go for it."

The older man manoeuvred the vehicle exactly as he said, keeping to the shadows cast by the setting sun as much as he could. Before reaching the location he had noted, he spotted a very large opening in one of the cliff-facings and decided that would be a better place to hide the ship. He broke off from his route and slipped the ship inside the cavern, landing only a dozen or so feet within it.

The ship powered down and he and Riku sat in silence for a moment. While the silence was comfortable, there was a distinct feeling that something was left unsaid; that words were waiting to be spoken, but no one was making the move to do so.

Finally, Riku broke the quiet. "I don't know if I want her to be here or not."

Leon understood exactly what he meant. Standing, he rolled his shoulders and stretched his back. "Let's get this done, Riku."

The younger male nodded and followed him out.

--0—0—

They climbed down ten feet of jagged rock to a narrow path that wound its way up to the fortress. Riku struggled a bit with it but when Leon moved to help him, he said he was fine. He made it to the ground about two minutes after Leon and insisted they move ahead after the other asked if he needed a moment.

They had only made it about halfway up the path when many Heartless appeared. They dropped from the sky and appeared over the nearby cliff-facings, swarming the two allies. There was a fair mix of different ones and at various strengths.

Without a word, Leon and Riku split-up. The teen fell back to remain behind the cluster as the elder moved forward. While Leon handed the oncoming adversaries, Riku picked them off from the rear. Since the Gunblade specialist distracted the majority of their adversaries, Riku had little trouble cutting through those in the back.

This system worked until another batch of the creatures appeared behind Leon. The steel-eyed man was enclosed and cut off from Riku. Quickly rethinking their tactics, Leon moved to the wall nearest him. After checking Riku's location, he unleashed Blasting Zone. He then ran up the opening he created to rejoin the teenager.

"Change in plan."

"I guessed that." Riku slashed at the rare truffle beside him and threw up a Dark Shield to block two gargoyles that tried to rush them. "Cut up the middle and keep moving?"

"Yep."

Each took a side and began the slow push forward. They made sure to stay even with one another, sweeping across the width of the passage. When the first group was handled, they only had a few moments before a second followed and the same happened with the third and fourth. The exercise was more tedious than difficult.

Even though there were no significantly powerful ones, Leon noted that Riku was steadily weakening. He started strong with little difficulty destroying the Heartless in his way. By the third grouping, it was visible that there was less strength in his physical attacks and he had slowed significantly. On the fourth, Leon stepped over and ended up handling most of their advisories, letting Riku fall back into a support position. Despite the clear physical weakening, his magical powers remained fairly strong.

They finally made it to the wall of black thorn bushes surrounding the fortress and the remaining Heartless disappeared. Riku was breathing heavily but when Leon moved to check on him, Riku moved away and toward the ten-foot high barrier. As he examined it, he removed a potion from his pocket and drank it.

This action did not assure Leon.

"How thick do you think this runs?" The younger male asked softly.

"My guess would be fifteen to twenty feet." Leon replied, also placing his attention on the next obstacle. He was only able to focus on it for a moment, however, before his gaze returned to the teen beside him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Riku spoke quickly. "I got grazed back there but the potion took care of it."

The youth was still pale and clearly in pain. The potion probably needed a few more minutes to be fully effective. Leon decided they could spare that time. "Let's stop and figure out our next few steps while we can. It's likely that once we're inside we aren't going to have a chance."

Nodding, Riku went to a nearby bolder. He sat upon it carefully and kept his face down. "We're probably going to have to hack our way through the thorns."

"It looked pretty uniform from the air," agreed Leon. He rested the Gunblade on his shoulder and leaned his weight to one side. "I really don't want to use Revolver as a machete."

"I don't think my Keyblade is going to work on it." Riku stated in a dry tone. "It doesn't really have a cutting edge."

"I wonder if we could burn through the vines," The elder of the pair mused, glancing back at the thorny growth. "They look rather dry."

"It's worth a try." Riku slipped an arm around his waist. "You'll have to do it. My elemental magic is…weak."

Leon had noticed that some time ago. He had yet to see Riku use any form of elemental magic in the entire time he had known him. At first, Leon had seen this as a weakness but the boy had proven that he did quite well without it. "The skills you do have more than make up for that."

"That's what I've been told." The teenager smiled a bit. "I like what I can do. In the beginning, I was afraid of the darkness but now, it's as natural as the light."

"The balance suits you well." Leon turned toward the organic barrier. He brought his hand to his face and began calling upon Firga. "Let's see if this works."

Straightening his arm, the older male cast out the weakest of his fire spells. There was no point in wasting the larger ones on an effort they were uncertain the results of. He aimed the fire burst at the base of the growth and watched as the flames joined the vines, consuming them and quickly climbing to the top. The smell of burning organic material drifted toward them.

The fire began dying out and it appeared that the damage went back about a foot. As the smoke cleared, Leon stepped closer for a better look. He was a bit surprised by what he found.

Coughing once, he stepped away from the wall of brindle and toward Riku. "There's barbed wire mixed in."

Riku frowned, "Really? That's going to make things harder."

"It looks like there's some locks holding the coils together." Leon added, watching the teen stand up. It appeared Riku had recovered and he felt a wave of relief.

"Interesting;" Riku walked over to Leon's former position. He examined the area himself and nodded. "Yeah, those are locks. …Looks like this is going to be a team effort."

"It wasn't before?"

Riku laughed and glanced over his shoulder. "You know, for two loners we seem to be really well matched together."

Steel-blue eyes met aqua colored ones and for a moment, neither spoke. An exchange of some sort passed in that simple moment, and Leon was uncertain what it was. It felt as though something hidden had been seen and accepted in that moment. Whatever it was, a peculiar sense of peace followed it.

The sable-haired man broke the contact. He stepped beside Riku and casually stated. "We do."

"I'm glad." There was a hint of emotion in Riku's voice.

There was a brief moment between them. Leon decided he rather liked having the teen beside him; it felt very natural no matter the situation. He also realized that he no longer cared why that was so.

Riku summoned Way to Dawn and pointed it at the barrier. "Let's do this."

Leon nodded.

--0—0—

They made a pattern of it, Leon burning away the organic material and Riku unlocking the knots of barbed wire exposed. It was slow going but easy work and they spoke very little. Upon opening the last lock, they stepped into the clearing of the fortress.

There was only twenty feet between what remained of the thorn wall and the tall, black towered building. The interior wall of thorns had black roses, as did the foundation-line of the fortress. There was something darkly beautiful about it.

"Wow," Riku murmured, surveying the area. "I've never seen natural black roses."

"Neither have I." Leon seconded, taking a step into the clearing. There was not a sign of trouble and that made him suspicious. "…You sense anything?"

Riku concentrated for a moment. "The darkness is stirring but there's nothing outside the building."

Leon glanced up at one of the tower balconies. "Be careful. I'm almost positive we're being watched."

"Me too…"

They fell into place next to one another. Senses on alert, they crossed the space to the main door without interference. At the ridiculously tall black oak entrance, they first tried pushing it open but the effort proved futile. Leon moved to the side and watched their surroundings as Riku used his Keyblade to unlock the door.

Even after it was unlocked, the door was extremely heavy and they both had to work to open it enough to slip inside the building. The interior was dark and dusty with tarnished iron candle chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and bare stone floors. A staircase rose from the left of them and there was a second floor balcony running from it.

A few steps in, Riku made a faint noise and brought his hand to his side.

Leon frowned deeply at him. "Your side shouldn't still be giving you trouble."

"It's-"

Riku was unable to finish the statement, as several of the chandeliers flared to life and dozens of troll-like creatures swarmed over the second floor balcony and around the pillars lining the foyer. They wielded crude weapons and quickly moved in, not hesitating to attack.

Leon immediately went on the defense, blocking two of the creatures advancing with the Gunblade and kicking at a third one. No sooner had he handled those than another set came at him. Whatever these were, they were clearly sentient and were using actual tactics in their manoeuvres. He quickly lost easy sight of Riku as he focused on his adversaries.

Making a sweep at one foe and launching a Blizzaga at another, an opening finally appeared and he searched for Riku's location. He spotted the teen at the foot of the stairs, holding his own against a group of five. The teen abruptly turned and leapt up on the stair rail and darted up to the top of it. This gave him the high ground and he unleashed a series of dark auras down at his pursuers.

Satisfied that Riku was handling things on his end, Leon went back to work dealing with his own adversaries. While it was obvious these creatures had intelligence, it was severely limited. They could evade him but fell for every feint. Once he made this realization, the fight progressed and ended quickly.

The last of his enemies destroyed, Leon turned to assist Riku. The boy was still at the top of the stairs but no longer on the rail and he alternated between dark shields to keep the troll-things on the stairs back and picking off the few that got behind him with his Keyblade. One jumped up on the opposing rail and leapt at him, Riku noticing him as he came down.

The silvered male succeeded in turning him back with an upraised strike but lost his balance slightly in the process. In an effort to regain his footing, he stumbled back and hit the rail with his side, grimacing. He quickly recovered, however, and turned back on his defense.

Leon bound up a few steps, cutting down four enemies as Riku dispatched his last three. The teen wore a pained expression and he leaned heavily on the rail as the older man approached. He was not even trying to disguise the pain he felt.

Without asking permission, Leon carefully pulled Riku's shirt up. There was a horrendous bruise and obvious swelling in the area of his lower rib. "Riku…this looks broken."

The younger male exhaled slowly. "I really… didn't think it was that bad."

There was no way Leon was going to let Riku continue on this condition. Anger rose up in him that Riku had not told him about the severity of his injury. "You should have said something."

"I'm not letting you deal with her alone." Riku declared.

"That's not your call." Emotion crept into Leon's voice. "This could have waited until we knew you were okay."

Riku was giving him that look again. "I'll be fine. Ultimecia needs to be stopped before she can start anything."

"Not at your expense." Leon shot back. "Your well-being is more important to me. The worlds can wait."

The words were impulsive and Leon surprised even himself with them. His feelings for Riku were much stronger than he thought. Surprisingly, he did not find himself nearly as troubled by this as he had been.

He felt Riku's eyes on him and instead of acknowledging it; he began thinking about something he could use to support Riku's injury. He entertained the idea of taking the teen back to the Gummi but he knew there was no way Riku was going to cooperate with that. The boy was too much like him when it came to supporting his friends and fulfilling obligations.

Forming an odd idea, Leon began removing the largest of his belts. It was a good two inches wide and while it was not a great option, it would add some support to Riku's wounded ribs. "Lift up your shirt."

Riku did as told, curiously watching as the man took the belt and began wrapping it around his lower chest. The width pressed against his skin as he tightened it and he bit back a hiss of pain. Leon's movements became gentler as he murmured an apology and finished fastening the leather in place. As he pulled his hand around, Leon traced his fingers lightly along the bruise.

"That should help," He stated softly, glancing up to meet Riku's eyes.

Aqua eyes swirled with a mix of emotion. "I'm sorry; I'm going to be a burden now."

Leon reached up and brushed away some of Riku's bangs. "You're never a burden."

Riku barely nodded.

Leon forced himself to get back in focus on the task at hand. He took out an elixir from a jacket pocket and handed it to Riku. "What can you sense?"

"The darkness is gathered in the south side of the building. I think there's a few traps… I sense some disruptions in the flow of it." The teenager shook his head. "Don't waste that on me; you may need it later."

"Take it." Leon spoke firmly. "I have a few more and I need you as close to one hundred percent as you can be."

Riku reluctantly took it and drank the fluid down quickly, making a face. "That's worse than a potion."

"Definitely;" Leon straightened up and held out a hand toward Riku. He looked him in the eyes and saw when the elixir began taking hold. "Ready to finish this?"

Riku took his hand and allowed the older man to help him stand. "Let's move ahead."


	9. Time and Consequence

Neither Riku-Rocks nor I own anything but the story concept.

Notes at the end.

* * *

Chapter Nine: Time and Consequence

After several hallways, they came across their first obstacle. It was a surprisingly simple one involving a statue and several different colored gems. Behind the statue, a black metal gate could be seen, blocking the path. Assuming that the gems needed to be moved and placed in specific locations, Leon removed the first one from the statue's base. The moment he did, another gate dropped and blocked the way back, effectively cutting them off. The gate had grooves large enough for the gems to fit.

Riku was able to solve the puzzle quickly, figuring out the color pattern from some seemingly random wall markings, and they continued on. The hall they were in turned out to be a dead end, and they had to choose between three doors to leave it. Each door had a nook in it and Leon was the one to figure out that the colored gems coincided with each of the doors. They removed the necessary three and placed each in the appropriate door. Then they did, the dead end shimmered and part of the wall disappeared to allow them through.

They entered a plain, narrower area with only a door on the right side wall. Behind them, the opening they came through disappeared. This left the door the only option and they cautiously entered it. They then found themselves in a small, square room with a single door on the left.

The door they came in through shut behind them and a loud _click _sounded through the room. Riku turned around and tried to reopen the door, but it was no good. "It's locked."

"It looks like we're being herded;" Leon observed, folding his arms. "We must be on the right path."

"Yeah;" Riku agreed, rejoining the older man. "...Or the complete wrong one. Guess we just keep going."

Leon did not say anything further and watched Riku approach the room's only exit. The boy seemed to be doing much better, which relieved him greatly. If Riku was able to keep his injury hidden from Ultimecia when they reached her, she likely wouldn't bother much with him.

He really did not want Riku facing the sorceress, and the teen's injury was not the only reason. Ultimecia was extremely adept at manipulating emotion and playing into a person's psyche. Riku was still coming to terms with his involvement in the entire Kingdom Hearts situation and if Maleficent had told her anything about Riku, Ultimecia would have more than enough information to use against him.

"Leon?"

The former SeeD brought himself back to the present moment. He needed to keep focused on the task at hand and trust that Riku could handle whatever came at him when the time came. If he could not, Leon would just have to help get him through.

Leon nodded and followed Riku into the next room. This room turned out to be another small area with only one other door opposite where they came in. When they crossed the dead center of it, a half dozen heartless sprang up and attacked. Do to the close proximity, it proved to be difficult to fight them and both fighters took more hits than they should have.

Once the shadows were defeated, they passed through the rest of the room and beyond the door a spiral stairwell was revealed. They emerged on a tiny landing and had the option of going either up or down. After a thorough search, there was absolutely nothing to indicate which way they should go.

"Now what...?" Riku took a step forward and pressed his fingers against the center pillar the steps wrapped around. "Flip a coin?"

"If you have one, go for it." Leon studied the area. Torches lined the inner wall, flickering in random patterns and casting equally random shadows. There had to be something to tell them where to go; so far they had been guided to this point. It made no sense for that to suddenly stop now. "...Any ideas?"

Riku shook his head. His bright eyes got that slightly distracted look to them, the color darkening. "I can't… This whole area is seeped in darkness. I can't isolate anything within it."

The teen sounded troubled about this and Leon found himself taking hold of Riku's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Ultimecia wants us to come to her. Something will put us in the right direction."

Riku glanced back at him and gave a small smile. When he did, a laugh echoed down from above and a strong wind blew up along with it. The torches blew out in a descending sweep.

"Will the lamb sleep or will the lion lead it to slaughter?"

The air stilled and a dim green light drifted from both directions. It was barely enough to see by and Leon tightened his fingers on Riku's shoulder. He would recognize Ultimecia's voice anywhere and it still caused unease to grip his heart. He could not make out the meaning of the question but one thing was absolutely clear: she knew that Riku was important to him and intended to use the boy against him somehow.

Beneath his hand, Riku's form shook for a moment then calmed. The Twilight Keybearer had to have understood the intent of the message also. In a quiet tone, he stated, "Sleep or slaughter… I can't say I like either option."

"Neither do I." Leon looked up. "Her voice came from up there… but the direction of the wind indicates an opening below."

"Either way, we're likely to run into something." Leon felt Riku move a bit and suddenly long, slender fingers rested upon his hand on the youth's shoulder. "Which way, Leon?"

The sable-haired man exhaled. Sleep or slaughter… what did she mean by that? Both could refer to death… Did she intend for Leon to choose how Riku would die? That was not going to happen regardless of what he chose. "We go up."

Riku's touch left him and it bothered Leon greatly. He wanted to reach out and retake those fingers; feel that reassurance that Riku was there and okay.

"When we find her, I'll hang back and support you but if you need me to do anything, say so. You know I can handle myself;" the Twilight Keybearer assured as though he had sensed the older man's turmoil.

"Just be alert for anything," murmured Leon. He glanced down and noted that he could barely see the stone beneath his feet. "How well can you see?"

"Pretty well," replied Riku. "I've got really good night vision. Need me to lead?"

"Yeah;" Leon slid his hand down Riku's arm. Despite the gravity of the situation, he smiled at the minute shiver that ran through the teenager. He took Riku's hand and focused on the mission again. "Take us up, Riku."

The silvered male moved forward, holding Leon's hand. The former SeeD could tell that Riku was having no issue with the stairs and matched the boy's steps the best that he could. He wondered if Riku's time in the dark realm improved his physical senses along with the extra perceptions he had gained.

They had made what Leon counted as six circuits around before the green glow began to brighten. On the next go round, the origin of the light finally appeared. They had reached the end of the stairs and another tiny landing. There was a large wood door and the strange light emanated from its outer boarder.

"This is strange." Riku spoke absently. "There's no scent in here."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything; she can teleport." Leon informed him. He stepped beside Riku and noticed that his aqua eyes remained fixed on the door.

"So can Sephiroth but I can usually tell if he's been in the area recently," Riku countered. He frowned and canted his head. "But there's something…"

Riku pressed his hand to the door and was only mildly surprised when it lost its solidarity and the hand went through. What was startling was once he started through it, he couldn't stop. He was gently pulled through, only having enough time to glance back at Leon before disappearing.

Leon moved to follow but found the wood solid again. Mind working frantically, he pushed at the door in different places, hoping to find an opening. When nothing gave, he stopped and took a moment to collect himself. Riku would be alright for now; Leon just needed to get through that door.

He doubted the door was enchanted specifically for Riku so it had to be designed for the first person to touch it. The question was whether it simply lead into the room or to an entirely different dimension. Ultimecia was capable of just about anything along that vein, and there was no way to know without getting past that door.

Taking a random chance, Leon pressed the door handle's latch.

…and the door swung open easily.

The circular room was filled with spinning wheels stacked in messy piles along the wall. There was a clearing in the center and in the middle of it stood…

"Riku…?"

The teenager had his back to him; something was strangely stiff about his posture. "Do you hear that?"

Leon heard nothing and a pang of fear went through him. "Riku, look at me."

"It's okay, Leon." Riku sounded normal. "No one's trying to get to me. Even if they did, they'd have to work damn hard to control me."

His silver hair brushed along his collar as he turned his head slightly. "There's something about this room…. I can sense something, but I don't know what."

"Well, whatever it is, Ultimecia isn't here." Leon took a step closer. The room was giving him a bad feeling and he was certain there was some kind of trap about to be sprung. "Let's get out of here."

"Yeah, guess we should have gone down." Riku's body twisted as he turned and when he did, there was a loud creaking and the stack of spinning wheels nearest to him shifted. A few tumbled free and crashed both in front and behind him. He froze absolutely still until they settled. "Whoa."

A bad feeling was settling in Leon's stomach. "We need to-"

The odd sound of Heartless appearing echoed through the circular room. A dozen soldiers sprang up and all of them attacked Leon in a group. He immediately went on the defense and lost sight of Riku behind the swarm. He sliced through them as they came but every time he would get a glimpse of beyond them, another would block his vision.

There were four left and he could finally see Riku, who had not moved from his position. Wondering why the teen had not come to assist, Leon searched down Riku's body. He noticed that the young man was surrounded up to the waist by spinning wheels now, and wondered how that had happened.

Then Leon spotted the troll creatures pushing the pieces of yarn fabrications around him.

It was obvious that Riku had little space to move, but the Gunblade wielder did not think that have kept him pinned. Lifting his eyes back to the silvered male's face, and dispatching two of the four remaining Heartless attacking, Leon observed that Riku was struggling to blink and could barely open his mouth. At some point, Stop must have been cast on him. It should wear off at any moment and Riku wasn't in any immediate danger so Leon opted to conserve his magic and let the spell disappear on its own.

Leon took out the last Heartless just as the trolls ran back into the crevasses of the remaining spinning wheels encircling the wall of the room. They did not reappear and Leon moved forward to remove the wheels surrounding Riku. Stop was wearing off now and Riku was moving a bit, attempting to lift his arms to push the spinning wheels away. "Well, this was- Ow!"

The spinning wheel in front of him fell away, sending the other ones toppling to the sides and exposing Riku's body. The teenager lifted his hand to examine the trickle of blood coming from his index finger. "Guess that spindle was still…"

Riku's aqua eyes rolled back and he collapsed forward, completely limp.

Leon didn't waste the breath to say Riku's name as he sprinted the last few steps to the boy. He carefully extracted Riku from the wood legs and wheels he lay upon, unsure as to what Riku had gotten hurt on. Laying Riku flat on the stone floor, he quickly searched for a pulse while he fought back his rising panic. Riku could not be dead; he simply couldn't be…

He found the pulse he sought and sighed in relief. While it was slow, he was steady and Riku was softly breathing. The prick on his finger had stopped bleeding.

"Oh dear, we're too late."

Leon whipped his head to the left, ready to attack the owner of the voice that spoke. He was not prepared to see three small, elderly fairies. The thought he recognized them but before he could ask who they were, they flew over to Riku and hovered above his face. The one dressed in green nodded to the other two. "He looks alright."

"Then she didn't change our alteration from before." The pink one noted.

Leon did not bother with asking who they were. "What happened to him?"

"When his finger pricked the spindle, it put him in an enchanted sleep."

_Enchanted sleep? _Of course, Ultimecia's question; now it made sense. That meant that Ultimecia was at the bottom of the staircase. In a way, Leon was glad they had chosen to go up. _However_…

"Will he be alright?"

"Oh, yes." The blue one smiled reassuringly. "He'll sleep until the spell is broken."

"How do we break it?"

"That can wait." The pink one flew up to his head. "You haven't much time."

The sable-haired man narrowed his eyes; "Before what?"

"She's rebuilt Junction Machine Ellone." The green one explained. "She intends to use it against Maleficent and take control of the Darkness for herself."

Leon pursed his lips. If the machine was complete, she could start compressing time whenever she liked. He still had nightmares about the last time she had done this and refused to live through it again.

He turned his face back toward Riku's. The boy looked peaceful, almost unnaturally so. If Leon hadn't felt his pulse himself, he would swear the boy was dead. He lightly touched Riku's cheek, assured by the warmth of his skin. "You're sure he's alright?"

"Certain." The blue one grinned.

Nodding slowly, Leon did not look away from the youth. "Can you watch over him?"

"Don't worry." The green one patted his shoulder. "We'll protect him."

"Yes;" The blue seconded. "Now go get that sorceress."

He had a sudden impulse to hug Riku. Leaning closer, he brushed at Riku's bangs and quietly said, "I'll be back soon. Then I'll figure out how to wake you up."

Leon then stood and strode from the room. His step was determined and he gathered up his energy and resolve as he descended back down the steps, past where they that entered and further down to where the green glow emanated from an open archway. He did not pause outside of the new chamber.

"There you are, finally." Ultimecia faced him, her made-up face pleased to see him. She appeared exactly how he remembered. "I see you let the boy sleep. How disappointing. Maleficent had told me so much about him. I had looked forward to testing his abilities for myself."

"Sorry to disappoint." Leon hefted Revolver.

She laughed richly at him. "You have changed, Squall. You've grown weaker!"

He was not going to take the bait; she should know him better than that. The former SeeD struck first, leaping up and aiming a strike at her right side. If she fought the same as before, she would have to raise that arm to cast any spells she intended to use.

As soon as the opening appeared, he unleashed an Aerial Circle, half of which hit her. It was enough to throw her own spell off and he hit the ground, raising his weapon to lash it at her again before she could recover. He cast Fated Circle, but before it could take effect, she shot up and floated away from it, chuckling in a disapproving manner.

"Ah, Squall. Have you learned nothing these past years?" She lifted her hand gracefully and summoned dark energy to it. A crackling sphere formed above her palm. "Nothing remains the same as time progresses."

The sphere broke into a dozen smaller orbs and raced toward him, spreading apart to surround Leon.

"You froze yourself at the moment of your greatest failure." Ultimecia continued, the dark circles stopping as if waiting for something, some command. "You didn't allow yourself to change, merely hid behind a fake persona as you withered away."

Leon narrowed his eyes at her. "No."

"Deny it all you like. You can't change time, but it can certainly change you!"

The orbs came to life again, slamming into him in a rapid succession that he was unable to evade. He tried to block but was always just a beat too late and they slipped past his guard. They did not hurt upon impact and that concerned him.

He rushed forward, leaping to confront her. He swung his Gunblade around, twisting to get around her and avoid the next attack she aimed at him. Now behind her, he got his hit in and she pitched forward. Refusing to let up, he followed after, readying another attack.

She set her feet down and to trap her, he cast a trio of light pillars to hold her in place. Surrounded, she glanced about a moment in concern then smirked wickedly. She relaxed, not even trying to escape and appeared to be waiting for something.

She was acting as though she had all the time in the world.

Leon hesitated a second and that was when his body froze in place. He was suspended mid-air, body angled in its descent toward the sorceress and Gunblade parallel to his side. He systematically tried to move different muscles and nothing responded.

Ultimecia laughed at him, still confined by the pillars. "Trapped in a single moment… Fitting, don't you think?"

Leon's mind was quickly working through a way to get free of his paralysis.

"Fight all you want, you won't break out of it. You chose this, Squall. You left yourself behind; lost in the moment you failed the others. This…existence you've created has allowed you the illusion of moving forward while your heart remains frozen in that pitiful moment."

The man listened to her statement, taking the words into his heart. That _was _what he had done when he had decided to abandon Squall Leonhart. He had failed his friends, his loved ones, and rather than accepting it and moving on, he had remained stuck in that failure. He convinced himself that he was making up for that failure by throwing himself into the restoration, but that was merely a diversion.

Leon was not working to atone for his past failure, he was ignoring it.

His thoughts automatically went to Riku. The boy was depending on him to get through this and he could not let him down. He had vowed to never again fail someone he loved and if he did not find a way to break free of this, he would do just that. He was not going to let that happen again.

Leon would not allow the past to keep him stagnant anymore. He had failed to protect the others but he had done the best he could and because of that, had he truly failed? No. There was nothing else he could have done to save his world.

A weight lifted from him and he took a full breath, feeling lighter and freer than he could ever recall feeling. It was in that moment that he realized he could move a little. His eyes blinked and he could flex his fingers around the handle of Revolver. If he focused, he could curl his lips up.

Ultimecia frowned, worry twisting her face. She felt her spell weaken and her eyes widened.

Smirking, Leon concentrated his energy and broke completely free of the moment she had frozen him in. Not wasting the time he had regained, he took that energy and gathered it. He could see Ultimecia working to free herself of her own barrier, but knew that it would be too late.

At the peak of his energy -and with an open, unhindered heart- he unleashed Lionheart upon her.

She broke free just as the limit break slammed into her and, in a wave of light, she disappeared with a cry of outrage poised on her lips and fury in her eyes. The energy consumed her, fading as she did until all was spent and the chamber was again quiet. Leon stood still for a half-second, allowing himself a margin of recovery time.

He then turned on his heel and bolted up the spiral staircase. All of his thoughts focused on Riku and he silently prayed that he could help the boy. The idea of losing him was tearing at his heart and for once he allowed himself to fully understand why that was. Now that he had cast the past away, he had no trouble seeing what he wanted for his future.

Leon rushed into the tower room of spinning wheels. The fairies had laid Riku out on a clear spot of floor near the door. The youth looked pale but peaceful, his face relaxed as he slept deeply. Looking at him, one would think that a simple shake would wake him up.

Dropping to his knees beside the teenager, Leon addressed the women hovering to the side. "Alright, how do I wake him up?"

"Well, you may not be able to…"

He looked up at the blue one sharply. "What?"

"The spell can only be broken by true love's first kiss." The green explained softly. "That was how we were able to alter the original spell."

"So unless you're his true love, you can't wake him." The pinkish one added sadly.

Leon set his eyes back down upon Riku. He lightly ran a finger along the young man's cheek then brushed at the bangs hanging in Riku's face. He didn't know how Riku felt about him but he knew how he felt. Maybe he was not Riku's true love but…

Moistening his lips, he lifted Riku into his arms and gently brought his lips to the boy's. He allowed a few moments for the kiss, pouring all the feeling he could into it, and hoped desperately that it would work. If it didn't, he would carry the silvered one anywhere he had to until he found the one who could break the spell.

He felt movement against his lips as Riku weakly began to return the kiss. Pulling away, Leon gazed down as groggy aqua eyes slowly opened. The younger male blinked blearily a few times before fixing his sight on Leon. "Leon?"

"Hey." Leon caressed Riku's face, relief flooding through him.

Riku carefully sat up, leaning his weight against the older man's chest. Leon smiled slightly, noting that it felt quite comfortable having Riku snuggled up to him. The boy quietly spoke, "I guess I slept."

"...Yeah."

Riku cast his eyes up in query. "Is she…?"

Leon smiled fully and kissed his forehead. "Yeah, it's over now."

Licking his lips, Riku grinned and his eyes brightened. "Good."

They sat together comfortably, neither one questioning their placement or what had passed between them. The three fairies remained long enough to see that everything was all right before disappearing in sweeps of sparkles. The pair of males on the floor barely noted their exit.

Eventually, Leon rubbed Riku's back. "Let's get out of here."

Riku nuzzled into him before moving away and standing; "Yeah."

The sable-haired man climbed to his own feet. The two stood facing each other for a span of time, awkward but not uncomfortably so. They both realized that their relationship had changed, going in a direction that neither had expected. They also knew that they had found something that they were both searching for.

Leon wrapped his arm around Riku's shoulders, Riku's head tilting enough to touch his chest, and they walked out of the chamber together, ready to face whatever came next for them.

-0-0-END-0-0-

Finally, huh? Yeah, I kinda fell away from this one for awhile, mostly because all I know of Ultimecia is from Dissidia and wasn't sure how to go about writing her). I hope you all who are still with us enjoyed the ride. (So does my co-author!) Please leave your thoughts and comments and thank you for reading!


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